The Holloways

The Holloways – Summer Sensation or Band for All Seasons? By Jack Parsons

“I can get a record player, and a generator/ Generate the music that makes you feel better…” We all remember these catchy lyrics from the summer, and they are the reason we all know The Holloways, the happy-go-lucky quartet from London.

Though it became popular in July, ‘Generator’ was in fact first released in October 2006, scraping into the charts at #30. However, the band decided to give it another chance in early June and it re-entered the charts in the Top 20, at #14. After that, ‘Generator’ was played continually on almost every radio station as if it was stuck on a loop until Autumn set in.

The music industry has a habit of doing this, picking one band to be the ‘sound to the summer’. Sometimes this pays off for the band, such as Kaiser Chiefs and ‘I Predict a Riot’, and sometimes it backfires, the song becoming overplayed and irritating, which in return reflects badly on the band, like The Automatic and ‘Monster’.

Voltcase spoke to The Holloways front man, Alfie Jackson, and drummer, Dave Danger, immediately after their performance at the Electric Gardens Festival in Kent, 3rd-4th August, and discussed any quibbles they might have with ‘Generator’; the song that had brought them into the public eye but may also leave them a one hit wonder.

Dave Danger: “That’s exactly what I was saying the other day; the radio won’t take it off the playlist! We don’t wana be another ‘What’s that coming over the hill?’”

Voltcase: In that case, at what point do you decide to introduce ‘Generator’ into a set?

Alfie Jackson: “You wonder whether to put it on earlier or not.”

D.D: “Its weird knowing 30 people or more are waiting for that song.’

A.J.: “That’s the funny thing about festivals, you’re not necessarily playing to your own audience, they could be hanging around to see someone else”.

Voltcase: Do you prefer festivals or gigs then?

A.J.: “Gigs are an intense thing but festivals go on for longer and you get to hang out with other bands, it’s like a long party.”

Voltcase: Back to the subject in hand, how are you going to prevent yourselves from being a one hit wonder then? What are your future plans?

A. J.: “ We recorded a few demos in Italy recently -”

D. D.: “Were also touring after the festivals.”

A.J. : “But were going to rest at Christmas and begin recording a new album in January.”

D. D.: “Were also going to be supporting The Pouges. We were meant to be supporting them in New York on St. Patrick’s Day – The Pogues, on St. Patricks Day! – but it got cancelled because Shane broke his leg – I was gutted!”

The Holloways seem to be making a lot of effort to stop themselves from being remembered as that ‘Generator band’. However, their plans to also re-release ‘Two Left Feet’, another sunny, apolitical ditty suggests that their second album will move away from their social commenting, punk (albeit optimistic) original, So, This Is Great Britain? The Holloways saving grace maybe that, even though they were charged early on with being ‘the sound to the summer’, they were eclipsed in the media’s eye mid-summer by Kate Nash and her thoroughly awful ‘Foundations’ and this may give them an opportunity to maintain moderate fame but also not be pigeon holed.