Holly Head: No Gain
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Manchester newcomers, the four piece Holly Head, release their debut single, No Gain via Akoustik Anarkhy
Fringing post-punk, flirting with dance and suffusing no little funk into precious few minutes of an incessant, rug-cutting “Afrobeat Curious Post-Hardgaze”, Holly Head transmit the crucial sounds of a raging, wide-awake, no more bullsh*t society.
The band, made up of Joe (vocals, guitar) Liam (bass), Oscar (drums) and Paddy (guitar) couple unanchored musical abandon with desolation-defying vocal release. The lyrics deal with the isolation, boredom, exhaustion and post-trauma reflection of frontman, Joe, following his arrest on punitive, present day protest charges, but more on that later…
Noel Vasquez of Akoustik Anarkhy says of the band, “They’re incredible, somehow managing to combine 90’s American Hardcore like Fugazi with the groove of Donna Summer and Sylvester all in one tune. When you witness their on-stage energy and movement it’s pretty mindblowing – you realise they’re really unique and special. Manchester kids are lucky to have them playing in the backstreets right now as it feels like they’re ready to fly”
So, political activism, unrelenting basslines, cut glass guitar riffs and the freneticism of enhanced neural pathways all fuse, spark and ignite.
Speaking of the circumstance which informs the track, Joe explains, “I was in a police cell in Scotland after getting arrested for disrupting the Scottish Grand National in April 2023. I could request a piece of paper and a pen to write or draw to keep me sane, whilst waiting to be released. You’re left in a concrete room with a dim light for around 13 hours, in a weird state of consciousness – worn out but wired, not being tired enough to sleep it out,” he continues, “I used the piece of paper that I got given about halfway through to write drafts of about two lines, one being eventually “I may not see what I want before I leave here, but I can’t regret in the cell I sit” – just trying to console myself that even though I’m in this unpleasant situation now, it won’t be for nothing. There’s also a jab at the royal family in there.”
Recently forced into arranging fundraising shows to try and meet (now reduced on appeal) fines for interrupting a greyhound meet, Holly Head’s dual existence is orientated to explore not only the outer reaches of sonic possibility but to promote political and social causes. At the same time as taking action on the climate crisis, Palestinian liberation, animal rights and homelessness, each band member’s diagnoses of neurodiversity – with depression and ADHD at the forefront – pulses through their collectivism, creativity and intense performances.
To find out more about Holly Head you can find the band at their Instagram
They will be playing Akoustik Anarkhy Night at the The Rat & Pigeon, Manchester on 27th September.
All words by Iain Key. See his author profile here or find him on X (Twitter) as @iainkey
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