Live Review: Oliver Tree - Troxy, London 09/11/2023
The close of Oliver Tree's UK leg of his world tour was a stroke of artistic brilliance - a show filled with humour, energy & superb crowd work.
The packed-out show was full of ardent Oliver Tree fans with beers in hand, waiting for the star’s whimsical performance to begin. The London punters were lucky enough to have Tree’s support act, Tommy Cash, to get them into the spirit of things. Cash encouraged the crowd to make a pit during “Pussy Money Weed” (2018), and this led into his 2016 hit “Winaloto” as his closing song. The heavy bass, comedic visuals and Cash’s offbeat manner had hyped the crowd up for the main event.
Tree didn’t keep us waiting for too long, starting his set just before 21:00. The crowd were immersed in Oliver Tree’s cryptic EDM project Super Computer, who opened the show. The backdrop depicted nostalgic 90s Microsoft visuals like internet dial-up and computer games, whilst keeping the crowd moving. The visuals continued to keep the crowd in awe, with Tree commencing his show with ‘Act 1’: Cornelius Cummings - a pink-puffer jacketed British character who is the star of his new album Alone In A Crowd (2023). Tree treated the audience to multiple satirical sketches whilst sitting alone on the couch on stage, with Tree lookalikes facing the audience. The band then played a string instrumental of the viral hit “Miss You” (2021) to get the crowd into the hyper-pop psyche. Tree then debuted five songs from his latest album, the crowd favourites appearing to be “Fairweather Friends”, “Bounce” & “Essence” (2023).
Tree then had a quick costume change, and kept the crowd entertained with the sped-up remix of “Miss You” by nightcore. Act II then commenced, with his cowboy alter-ego Shawty Bravo performing tracks from his 2022 album Cowboy Tears (2022), notably “A Swing & Miss” and the titular “Cowboy Tears”. Tree played his iconic music videos in the background whilst he got the crowd to turn on their phone lights and sway their hands in the air for the rarer, tender songs on the album. The audience were entirely taken with him and were clearly immersed in the middle act of his three act “broadway play” (his own words).
The final act was the magnum opus of the evening, with the crowd favourite “Turbo” as his closing act. Tree was donned in his notorious windbreaker, sunglasses and baggy jeans, hyping the crowd up with the most popular of his discography - “Alien Boy” & “Life Goes On” (2021). Tree claimed that this London show was the “best show” he’d ever played, mocked the crowd and hurled expletives (lovingly) and praised his support as his “favourite artist ever”.
This gig was a must-see for fans of outlandish fashion, satirical comedy & unbridled energy - the hyper-pop and heavy bass had kept the audience entertained for hours on end.
Words by Meg Budgen
Photography by Josh Parrick
