Following their excellent 2013 debut The Mountain Moves, Treetop Flyers hit Manchester’s Soup Kitchen to trial some of their new material as well as some fan favourites such as She’s Gotta Run and Making Time, with the five-piece providing s glimpse of what is to come, seriously whetting the appetite of the crowd for the follow-up album to drop.
Against the rough and ready feel of Soup Kitchen Treetop Flyers take to the stage. The crowd is eager and immediately engaged as they launch into their set. The southern influence is immediately apparent, as is their musical ability. Reid Morrison’s soulful vocals quickly have the room hooked as he pours emotion into each and every song – his voice really is the perfect match for the music.
Throughout the evening the influences of The Eagles (in particular in Things Will Change), Young and Fleetwood Mac can be heard, but that doesn’t take away from Treetop Flyers as they are very much their own band and easily stand on their own, commanding attention. They also perform with variety, varying between slow and upbeat; between melancholy and delight. Outstanding guitar riffs are following by psych wurlitzer-esq moments as the psych feel comes in to play.
Through Sleepless Nights, Haunted House and the rest of the set they prove that they are far from 3-minute ditty writers. There is a depth and substance to each piece.
The crowd also respond to the newer material with just as much enthusiasm as the more familiar pieces.
In the end, the set is summed-up to perfection by the encore as firstly they perform the beautiful St Andrew’s Cross, an acoustic number which has the audience in awe (and in virtual silence for the first time in the evening) as Morrison ekes out every last bit of emotion; and secondly the upbeat What Can You Do which has the crowd dancing, clapping and cheering and provides an opportunity for an interlude from Sam Beer before humorously breaking into The One I Want (yes, the one from the Grease soundtrack) much to the delight of the fans.
The atmosphere and feel of Soup Kitchen was the perfect foil for the Southern California feel of their music, who provided evidence that the upcoming follow-up album will be every bit as much a sonic delight as The Mountain Moves.
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