Take six guys from Belfast - the sort who grew up in and around the troubles, whose faith evolved as roadblocks and bomb scares punctuated their daily routines - and grow them in a church soaked in worship. Open them up to a sense of adventure, to a passion for local churches and prodigals, fill them with tunes like cliff-faces and you’ll be getting some where towards a band like Bluetree. But not quite close enough.

For the final piece of the puzzle you have to go to Thailand. It was there in Pattaya - a city scarred and stained by its reputation as the capital of the world’s sex trade - that the final piece fell into place.

The band had bartered their way into ‘playing’ at a club - a club which is a brothel. As they did what they only ever do - worshipped - something arrived. It was a song - but one that formed with unusual power and speed. Lyrics and melody formed, calling out a message of hope, a promise of new life for a city so chained by darkness:


You’re the God of this city

You’re the King of these people

You’re the Lord of this nation

You are



You’re the light in this darkness

You’re the hope to the hopeless

You’re the peace to the restless

You are



For there is no-one like our God

There is no-one like our God



Greater things have yet to come

Greater things are still to be done

In this city

Greater things have yet to come

And greater things have still to be done here


That was back in November 2006. They’d formed a little under a year before with the intention of taking up the worship-leading baton passed down across the last two decades within their home church - CFC in Belfast. The likes of Robin Marks and Johnny Parks had gone before, teaching the guys as they made their way through youth groups about the heart of worship.

A few years on from their trip to Thailand and things had changed for the band. First Chris Tomlin heard and fell under the spell of ‘God Of This City’ - the prophetic song born in front of prostitutes and worshippers alike. Tomlin loved it and the track has become something of an anthem for the ‘Passion’ generation - becoming the title track of their February 2008 album. Tours of the US followed, as did a number one album and Dove Award nomination.

What’s with the Name?: “If you’re in a forest and there’s nothing but green trees – everything being as you’d normally see it - but then you see a blue tree - blue bark, blue leaves, blue branches - it would catch your eye. As Christians we’re called to stand out, to be different - like blue trees.”(Aaron Boyd)