Treefight For Sunlight – Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, London 05/04/11

It’s on a bit of a drizzly, dull evening that we tread our way down Shoreditch High Street and into the dimly lit cosiness of the Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, to begin an evening that is sure to soon become much brighter. Having been thoroughly impressed by the group after seeing them play in Paris just a few weeks ago, expectations were extremely high for this show from Treefight For Sunlight – one of Denmark’s most exciting exports.

Treefight For Sunlight are a band that are quite difficult to categorise. If you had only listened to the singles, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the band cater for fans of twee, sunshine laden ballads – continually joyful and relentlessly upbeat. However, a full spin of the album – which we reviewed back in February – reveals dynamics, constructions, lyrics and juxtapositions which delve much, much deeper than this merry, tinkling surface – an element of the band which is truly revealed in their live show.

Four voices, all different in tone and range but with a harmonic ability that a lot of bands struggle throughout their whole careers to obtain, lead us through this enchanting concert. From the first to the last note, the band’s voices are perfectly synchronised. Each song from their eponymous debut captivates the audience as the group play their way through a setlist which has been carefully prepared to showcase the varying dynamics of their repertoire. To start with, the overall feeling is light and playful with Niels Kirk’s piano waltzing us through tracks such as ‘A Dream Before Sleep’. Crowd-pleaser isn’t quite strong enough a compound to describe the reaction of gig-goers towards ‘You and the New World’ and ‘What Became of You and I?’ which see the band pick and tinkle their way through lilting, dainty melodies with perfectly balanced vocal harmonies rolling alongside. It’s really astounding how astute the vocals are, particularly on ‘Riddles in Rhymes’ – an intricate, swirling, mesmerising mix of styles and sections which really highlight how confident and musically accomplished this relatively young band already are.

About 4 songs into the set, the group burst into a truly outstanding rendition of Kate Bush’s ‘Wuthering Heights’, with Christian Rohde Lindinger’s falsetto tone gliding through the vocal melody like a warm knife through butter. The dynamics seem to deepen as drummer Mathias Sørensen takes the lead on vocals, and we find ourselves with heavier, more driving, charging tracks. ‘Time Stretcher’ is a perfect example of this, and of the band pushing themselves beyond the twinkling boundaries by which they’ve very quickly, and probably incorrectly become surrounded.

Treefight for Sunlight are a very hard-working live band, who have honed their craft to an extremely high level. The energy radiating from the stage is nothing short of infectious, winding the crowd into rapture; a fiercely positive reception – no less than the band deserve for such a great show. Evidently very excited to be back playing in London, the Danes have managed to brighten the blackened room, and to move every person in the venue. The closing tracks revert back to the upbeat, light tones of the beginning of the set, with Morten Winther Nielsen’s sumptuous voice enthralling the already adoring crowd. It’s been an evening of gorgeous renditions of beautifully crafted tracks which have truly been brought to life tonight. Until the next time, our Danish friends, and here’s hoping that it won’t be too long a wait.