Live at the Bournemouth International Centre. Opening for James Blunt on the Moon Landing Tour.

Inspired by the film 'O Brother Where Art Thou' by the Cohen Brothers.

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Lyrics

Looking up thinking which way will he go
As he shades his eyes from the sun
When I break these chains
They might find me someday
Hell, it’s time and I gotta run

The men won’t find out
About my big breakout
Then they’ll hear the whistles blow
The sirens will wail
They’ll chase my tail
But they don’t know where I’m gonna go

They said I should never go there
They said they think I should stay
My loves been found
Lord, he won’t let me down
As long as he don’t hear me play

A man he sits there on an old rocking chair
As he struggles to see through the mist
Pulls out the tissue from inside his shoe
And says I think you can assist.

I need to disappear then I need to get here
Tell me if you wouldn’t mind
He says you’re in a craze
It’ll take you 10 days but follow the railway line

They said I should never go there
They said they think I should stay
By my love's been found
Lord, he won’t let me down
As long as he don’t hear me play

Not a sound, another deserted town
Back through more fields now though
Dark skies and another sunrise
Can’t be much longer to go

He slows for a while, walked so many miles
Shakes his head and puffs his cheeks
Shoes filled with blood, covered in mud
But driven by the fortune he seeks

They said I should never go there
They said they think I should stay
My loves been found
Lord, he won’t let me down
As long as he don’t hear me play

His nerves have all spread, and he sweats from his head
Now the time’s finally come
Alone stands a man 
Pen and paper in his hand
Waiting for the deal to be done

Written by Drew David Allen (PRS)

The Deal (Live - James Blunt Support)

In the pantheon of important albums in the rock and pop era, few are more venerated than Talk Talk’s 1988 opus, ‘Spirit of Eden’. Led forward by Mark Hollis’ uniquely enquiring mind and ruthless pursuit of perfection, 1991’s follow up ‘Laughing Stock’ followed suit, essentially defining the genre now known as post-rock.

Involving a cast of excellent musicians, these albums and their painstaking construction have become the stuff of legend. 

1998 saw Mark Hollis release a stunning solo album, involving many of the same musicians and engineers. 

And then silence...

Held By Trees is a brand new project that has brought together a total of seven of the veterans from those hallowed records. Approaching the recording in a similar way, emphasising spontaneous improvisation and keeping the best moments for the mix, Held By Trees attempts to both pay tribute to Hollis who died in 2019, and create something fresh in his legacy.

Devoid of any vocals, Held By Trees is an ambient, post-rock project with deep roots in Talk Talk’s journey, but is also inspired by Pink Floyd, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and the natural world.

The first single ‘In the Trees’ is an invitation to come and get lost in a forest of sound. Layered guitars twist like branches around a floating piano. Martin Ditcham’s hypnotic drumming grounds the piece while Andy Panayi on flute and clarinet and Robbie McIntosh on dobro delicately decorate the chords. All three are Hollis collaborators. 

Mark Hollis’ close friend Laurence Pendrous brings a harmonium drone and Ben Taylor masterfully accompanies on double bass. 

Led by David Joseph, Held By Trees is planning an album and already has sights set on a follow up that will incorporate more abstract influences from the likes of Morton Feldman and Steve Reich. 

Produced by David Joseph
Mixed by Dave Lynch, advised by Phill Brown
Mastered by Denis Blackham

In The Trees

Very few bands can claim living DNA from their key influences within their sound, but Held By Trees is one. 
Inspired by the work of Mark Hollis, both with Talk Talk and as a solo artist, composer and producer David Joseph was encouraged by engineer Phill Brown who made Talk Talk’s seminal opus, Spirit of Eden. On showing Phill his demos, Phill put David in touch with drummer/percussionist Martin Ditcham,  a fellow veteran of the Talk Talk/Hollis records. Throughout 2020 and 2021, David connected with other Hollis alumni. The resulting recording process became the debut album, Solace, which hit the indie charts in April 2022. Featuring Robbie McIntosh, Tim Renwick (Pink Floyd), Mike Smith (Blur), David Knopfler (Dire Straits) and many others, Solace received warm reviews from the music press and listeners around the world. Follow up EPs arrived in 2023, Eventide and Solace - Live at Real World Studios, recorded with the main live Held By Trees iteration. A similar EP, this time with singer-songwriter, Martin Smith, followed in 2024. Meanwhile, Joseph was cooking up a second full length album, recorded with the same approach as Solace. Hinterland, the second album, broadens the sound of the project, reaching more ambient depths and noisier heights. Featuring members of Swans, Wire, Supergrass, Slowdive and Band of Susans, the album also introduces Mark Hollis’ son Charlie on piano; alongside the familiar veterans of his dad’s music, thus strengthening the projects lineage with Talk Talk.

In The Trees

Held By Trees

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