HELD BY TREES

Event information

Not many bands can claim living DNA of their chief influences within their sound but Held By Trees are one. Debut album, Solace features contributions from eight Talk Talk/Mark Hollis alumni, as well as veterans of Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Blur and blues/roots icon, Eric Bibb. Wide critical acclaim followed, and support from Guy Garvey and Stuart Maconie on BBC 6 Music and play on Radio 3. Released in April 2022, Solace charted on the official indie chart (number 4) and physical sales chart (number 23), thanks to press and media support for the fledgling project.
Held By Trees’ live iteration features guitar legend Robbie McIntosh (McCartney, The Pretenders, John Mayer, Talk Talk), Laurence Pendrous on keyboards (Mark Hollis, Anja Garbarek), Paul Beavis on drums (The Waterboys, Andy Fairweather-Low and the Low Riders, Bill Wyman), Andy Panayi on flute, clarinet and sax (Ronnie Scott, McCartney, Hollis). Held By Trees made its live debut in October 2022 and have played in respected venues across the UK, drawing enthusiastic audiences ready to hear exciting variation and improvisation in the performances.
This line-up found themselves at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in late 2022 recording two new EPs, one of live tracks from Solace and one of new music called Eventide, released in the summer of 2023.
2024 saw Held By Trees’ first collaboration with a vocalist; Martin Smith. Lay Your Troubles Down, a near 13 minute epic, was released on 21st June, with two more songs presented as an EP, Held By Trees & Martin Smith in the Autumn, followed by a short tour, including some dates with Martin guesting with the band.
Held By Trees released their second album, Hinterland, in April 2025. The new album features musicians from Supergrass, Slowdive, Swans, Band of Susans, Primal Scream, Wire, My Bloody Valentine as well as the returning Talk Talk/Hollis alumni and Mark Hollis’ son, Charlie. Hinterland has garnered widespread reviews from the likes of Uncut, RNR, Fireworks, The Daily Express, Prog Magazine, Magic Magazine (France) and multiple online blogs.

Some quotes from the press…
“Solace is played beautifully throughout…there are striking moments like the massive fuzz guitars of The Tree of Life segueing into a dialogue of muted brass…3/4 stars” - Mojo Magazine review of Solace (UK)
“…Lovely but very different guitar work… somehow sparse but also slightly proggy as well which I know will sound very appealing, almost like a perfect combination…” - Elizabeth Alker - Unclassified, BBC Radio 3
“Post-rock, ambient and prog are some of the genres that encapsulate the spectral majesty of the part improv natural world created by David Joseph and his seasoned musos. The six, including Joseph, who complimented the music with an individual mastery of instrumentation, seemed to suspend time for the gathered… New heroes of prog/post-rock have arrived” - Record Collector Magazine live review (UK)
“Held By Trees conjure light with resplendent sounds weaving magical spells… an intuitive, inspirational group.” – Prog Magazine live review (UK)
“Highly recommended for fans of Hollis’ sparse aesthetic. 4.5/5 stars” - Classic Pop Magazine review of Solace (UK)