The Holloways are an English four-piece
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band from
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire.
The term ''nor ...
. Their single "
Generator
Generator may refer to:
* Signal generator, electronic devices that generate repeating or non-repeating electronic signals
* Electric generator, a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy.
* Generator (circuit theory), an eleme ...
" reached number 14 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
on 11 June 2007. They have had five No.1 singles on the
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...
and several Top 40 singles. Their debut album, ''
So This Is Great Britain?
''So This is Great Britain?'' is the debut album from The Holloways
The Holloways are an English four-piece indie rock band from North London. Their single " Generator" reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart on 11 June 2007. They have ha ...
'', was awarded 8 out of 10 by ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
''.
Former band member Rob Skipper died on 3 October 2014 in Brighton from a
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
overdose.
Formation
David Jackson and Bryn Fowler established the beginnings of the band, finding Rob Skipper at the live music venue Nambucca on Holloway Road in North London. They would meet later to jam together, playing in future drummer Dave Danger's room (situated above the club). After an hour of jamming, Jackson and Skipper had six songs with
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
and
fiddle parts and harmonizing vocals. Impressed by what he heard from the three, Dave Danger joined the band.
They toured with
Babyshambles
Babyshambles were an English rock band established in London. The band was formed by Pete Doherty (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) during a hiatus from the Libertines. As of 2013 the band includes Mick Whitnall (lead guitar), Drew McConnell (bas ...
,
The Pogues
The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse" ...
,
The Kooks
The Kooks () are an English pop-rock band formed in 2004 in Brighton. The band consists of Luke Pritchard (vocals/rhythm guitar), Hugh Harris (lead guitar/synthesizer/bass) and Alexis Nunez (drums).
Their music is primarily influenced by th ...
,
The Rakes
The Rakes were an English post-punk band formed in London in 2003. Their first album ''Capture/Release'' released in 2005, received a nine out of ten review in the ''NME'' and was rated 13th best album of the year in the same paper. The band ci ...
,
The Wombats
The Wombats are an English indie rock band formed in Liverpool in 2003, consisting of Matthew Murphy (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Tord Øverland Knudsen (bass, backing vocals, keyboards), and Dan Haggis (drums, backing vocals, keyboards) ...
,
The Pigeon Detectives
The Pigeon Detectives are an English indie rock band from Rothwell in Leeds, West Yorkshire, who formed in 2004. The band have released five albums from 2007 to present.
They performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2006, where they we ...
and
CSS
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in a markup language such as HTML or XML (including XML dialects such as SVG, MathML or XHTML). CSS is a cornerstone techno ...
, as well as helping launch careers of
Frank Turner
Francis Edward Turner (born 28 December 1981), is an English punk and folk singer-songwriter from Meonstoke, Hampshire. He began his career as the vocalist of post-hardcore band Million Dead, then embarked upon a primarily acoustic-based sol ...
,
Kid Harpoon
Thomas Edward Percy Hull (born 20 April 1982), known professionally as Kid Harpoon, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer.
Career
Already a fixture at local venues in his hometown of Chatham, Kid Harpoon first emerg ...
and Johnny Lloyd of
Tribes
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to conflic ...
inviting them to support on their numerous UK tours.
In 2010, Reservoir Media Management acquired 100% of the Holloways publishing assets which had formerly been administered by TVT Music Enterprises, LLC.
In October 2014, founding member Rob Skipper died of a heroin overdose.
Notable performances
They played at Glastonbury several times during their career including a slot on the Other Stage in
2007. Other festivals included
Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks Hotel is a hotel operated by Ibiza Rocks in the centre of the town of Sant Antoni de Portmany, on the Spanish island of Ibiza. The hotel is built around a central courtyard with a pool, bar and stage for events in the center. Formerly ...
,
Summer Sonic Festival
The , also known as Supersonic, is an annual two- or three-day rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba, Japan. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa. The line-up co ...
in Japan, V Festival, London Calling in Amsterdam and Lovebox Festival in the UK.
Split and post Holloways musical projects
The Holloways announced in 2011 that they were to split. On 23 May 2011, they played their last gig at the Relentless Garage on Holloway Road in London. During the gig the band reunited with previous band members to play a 70-minute set of songs from throughout their career.
HARES
Founding member and lead guitarist went on to front the short-lived folk rock band
Rob Skipper & The Musical Differences
The Holloways are an English four-piece indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record label ...
, and later fronted HARES, whose ''Coastlines'' EP was well received by critics, topping the Music Week Top Ten Playlist and making it to XFM's Exposure Top 5 list. HARES have toured the UK extensively with One Night Only,
Pigeon Detectives
The Pigeon Detectives are an English indie rock band from Rothwell in Leeds, West Yorkshire, who formed in 2004. The band have released five albums from 2007 to present.
They performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2006, where they we ...
and
The Vaccines
The Vaccines are an English indie rock band, formed in West London in 2010. Band members Justin Hayward-Young (lead vocals, guitar), Freddie Cowan (lead guitar, vocals), Árni Árnason (bass, vocals), Timothy Lanham (guitars, keys, vocals) and ...
, have performed at Glastonbury, T in the Park, Hop Farm, Big Reunion and Strummer of Love festivals. Skipper also played fiddle for The Urban Voodoo Machine and Jamie T.
Burning Beaches
Drummer Dave Danger went on to perform with Burning Beaches alongside singer-songwriter and past Holloways guest Sam McCarthy.
Members
*David 'Alfie' Jackson – guitars, harmonica, vocals (2004–2011, 2017–2020)
*Bryn Fowler – bass, backing vocals (2004–2011, 2017–2020)
*Robert Skipper – guitars, fiddle, vocals (2004–2009)
*Dave Danger – drums, triangle (2004–2009, 2020)
*Edwin D Harris – drums (2009–2011)
*Mike Baker – guitar, backing vocals (2009–2011)
Discography
Albums
* ''
So This is Great Britain?
''So This is Great Britain?'' is the debut album from The Holloways
The Holloways are an English four-piece indie rock band from North London. Their single " Generator" reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart on 11 June 2007. They have ha ...
'' (30 October 2006; special edition: 1 October 2007) No. 54 UK
* ''
No Smoke, No Mirrors
''No Smoke, No Mirrors'' is British band The Holloways
The Holloways are an English four-piece indie rock band from North London. Their single " Generator" reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart on 11 June 2007. They have had five No.1 s ...
'' (5 October 2009)
EPs
* ''Sinners & Winners EP'' (2008)
Singles
* "
Generator
Generator may refer to:
* Signal generator, electronic devices that generate repeating or non-repeating electronic signals
* Electric generator, a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy.
* Generator (circuit theory), an eleme ...
/
Two Left Feet" (2005) Limited release
* "Happiness & Penniless" (2006) Limited release
* "
Two Left Feet" (7 August 2006) No. 33 UK, No. 1 UK Independent chart
* "
Generator
Generator may refer to:
* Signal generator, electronic devices that generate repeating or non-repeating electronic signals
* Electric generator, a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy.
* Generator (circuit theory), an eleme ...
" (16 October 2006) No. 30 UK, No. 1 UK Independent chart
* "
Dancefloor" (26 March 2007) No. 41 UK, No. 1 UK Independent chart
* "
Generator
Generator may refer to:
* Signal generator, electronic devices that generate repeating or non-repeating electronic signals
* Electric generator, a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy.
* Generator (circuit theory), an eleme ...
" (11 June 2007) No. 14 UK, No. 1 UK Independent chart
* "
Two Left Feet" (
2007) No. 74 UK, No. 1 UK Independent chart
* "Jukebox Sunshine" (2009) No. 4 UK Independent chart
References
External links
The Hollowayson
Myspace
Teenspot Music ReviewAngloplugging ReviewDrownedinsound ReviewNME ReviewAngloplugging ReviewDrownedinsound ReviewNME Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holloways, The
TVT Records artists
English indie rock groups
Musical groups from London
Alumni of Middlesex University