And Also the Trees

Brothers Simon on vocals and Justin Jones on guitar, both hailing from a rural village in Worcestershire, England, launched And Also the Trees in 1979 alongside bassist Steven Burrows and drummer Nick Havas. After spotting the Cure’s advertisement seeking support acts for an English tour, the Jones brothers mailed in a demo tape, which secured several opening slots and, in 1981, a full run of dates alongside Robert Smith and his band. With no recordings yet issued, the Cure’s Lol Tolhurst stepped in to produce the single “Shantell” and the group’s self-titled debut album, which appeared in February 1984. Although Tolhurst’s involvement naturally invited Cure comparisons, the fragile beauty of Joy Division and the Chameleons supplied equally apt reference points. The quartet also taped a session for John Peel’s BBC radio program, while European critics heaped acclaim on the follow-up LPs Virus Meadow (1986), The Millpond Years (1988), and the live set The Evening of the 24th (1987). In contrast, the notoriously fickle U.K. music press abandoned the fading Goth scene, leaving the band adrift. Released in 1989, Farewell to the Shade marked their last domestically issued album and their sole U.S. release, appearing on Troy. Thereafter the group shifted to the German imprint Normal, which put out Green Is the Sea in 1992 and The Klaxon the next year.