Oliver Tree @ Deep Ellum Art Co, Dallas, TX

Words and photos by Nick Paruch

Oliver Tree, the Human Meme

Any concert that begins with the artist blasting across the stage on a scooter is guaranteed to be entertaining now dress that person up in a pink and purple Patagonia jacket and wide legged JNCO Jeans, give them a stark bowl haircut and you have Oliver Tree. Yes, visually he resembles the decade that he was born but musically his lyrics and beats are breaking boundaries and his fans love it.

Oliver Tree set the pace right from the start performing “Forget It” and “Alien Boy” which caused the crowd to go crazy. The fans were anxiously capturing every movement with their phones. His set list is limited as he currently only has an EP and a few singles but he did perform some unreleased material, “Waste My Time” and “Fucking Up”. These are most likely destined for the new debut full-album, titled Ugly is Beautiful which is also the name of the tour. The frantic energy on stage and from the audience continued throughout the night.

The crowd was a diverse group of followers; skater boys, millennials dressed in 90’s retro clothing and teens with their parents in tow who had no idea of what was happening. But they all came together at the Deep Ellum Art Co. to experience a special moment in time. Within the small intimate venue of about 400 people the energy resonating beyond its walls while Oliver Tree jumped, danced and thoroughly entertained everyone personally. But as his popularity grows it is inevitable that he will perform in much larger venues where that personal connection just cannot occur.

Photos of the show are below: