Champion Trees

London-based band Champion Trees is the word rock/folk/diy musical collaboration of Francis Christie (lyrics, vocals, guitars), Lex Pienaar (bass), James Bickford-Smith (keys, violin), Michael Burke (saxophone) and Michele Hromin (clarinet). The lush arrangements of their new, independently released second album A Duck's Water Off My Back are a marked departure from the lean production of the band's early material. A Duck's Water Off My Back has greatly expanded the band's following, earning coverage on BBC Introducing on Radio 6 and critical acclaim from Outside Noise, who maintain that it features "some of the most beautiful poetry we've heard in independent music all year".