2/3/24: L.T. Leif / Hank Tree / Upturned Boats
Hank Tree + L.T.Leif + Upturned Boats
Entry Requirements: 18
L.T. Leif
An adopted member of the Scottish DIY music scene whose life and art has been heavily shaped by northern landscapes and climes, L.T. Leif is rooted in the self-sufficient spirit of the Canadian prairies, and carries with them the indelible experience of spells spent living in Iceland, Finland and drawing inspiration from the Pacific Northwest. Leif has been involved in many bands and projects, first entering the scene with Calgary orchestral pop sweethearts The Consonant C.
Releases under the solo-with-friends moniker L.T. Leif have included the 2016 double album Shadow on the Brim / Rough Beasts and Leif’s first release on Lost Map Records, the 2022 Lost Cat limited edition cassette compilation of live and unreleased tracks, improvisations and deep cuts Introducing L.T. Leif.
Leif's album, Come Back To Me, But Lightly, was released on Lost Map in January 2023, in collaboration with fellow Scottish label, OK Pal.
“Beautifully Contemplative” – Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 6
Hank Tree
Hank Tree is a Glasgow based project led by Fergus MacDonald (ex- State Broadcasters), also comprising Roy Shearer (Ultras, Inspector Tapehead) and Bart Owl (Eagleowl, Broken Chanter). Hank Tree's first EP was released by Chilean label Uva Robot in 2018 and a debut LP, The Big North, was released in 2022, via Olive Grove Records. The album features songs inspired by the dramatic rise and fall of prosperity of the desert region of El Norte Grande in Chile. The band's sound is characterised by fast picked classical guitars, atmospheric ballads, distortion-heavy instrumentals and hushed vocals, often incorporating field recordings and featuring lyrics focusing on social history. They have supported artists including King Creosote, Alasdair Roberts and Gwenifer Raymond and have received airplay on BBC 6Music and BBC Scotland.
Upturned Boats
Upturned Boats are sad indie rock music. The 5 piece from Glasgow fuse genre tropes and inventive sonic architecture to create songs that are equal parts familiar, inventive and challenging to the listener. The band are influenced by giants of the US scene; Wilco, Big Thief, Pavement and Phoebe Bridgers and pioneers of UK post punk and indie guitar music The Smiths, Joy Division and The Wedding Present. Upturned Boats play off kilter, lyrical, indie guitar music with joy and passion. Listeners should prepare to feel the same way.
Line Up
Hank Tree
A wild dog chasing the sun! L.T.Leif stays wise, wise, wide. This is lo-fi freak folk written by mystic creatures and listened to floating on our backs in cool water.
L.T.Leif is from the Canadian prairies and currently lives in small city Finland. This music has a dark heart, but a heart that believes deeply and equally in humanity and the complicated soil. Rough beasts and sharp brims, the cup she’s filling leaves a long shadow. A shadow whose outline she traces sonically and skillfully, bringing us along tenderly, thoughtfully, openly.
Leif’s work has earned the admiration of K Recs Maestro Calvin Johnson, who recruited her for a release and tour presented by the Believer Magazine, and indie veteran Woodpigeon, who invited her into international pop collaboration “Embassylights”. Of her latest album, Gold Flake Paint writes:
“Leif is one of those special types of songwriters, the kind of artist that can stop a day in its tracks, pull it apart, bend it this way and that, and transport the listener somewhere else entirely”
