What's going on in Edinburgh

The Holloways

Itchy's got a soft spot for certain parts of London: Brick Lane for its East End rundown charm; Notting Hill for its artsy quirk; King's Road for its unattainable, wealthy stench. Now, though, it's time to add another area to the list: Holloway. And no, not because we've developed a thing for convicted felons.

Naming your group after prison central may not seem sensible, but, as Alfie Jackson from The Holloways explains, it just made sense.

"We were living in Holloway when this string of coincidences happened. I met Bryn (our bass player) at a party, and then a couple of days later saw him walking down the same street as me - it turned out he lived in the house practically opposite mine.

"Plus it's kind of like being a football team - we're named after where we're based. Our manager, photographer, tour manager; everyone's in this area and it's where we wrote all our songs."

*Gaymer's Cider Grassroots gig

The name has done well thus far, if only because it's already outlasted half the band. In February two members of the punky guitar-playing quartet - guitarist and vocalist Rob Skipper and drummer Dave Danger - left The Holloways for musical pastures new. It left the remaining two, Bryn Fowler and Alfie, with some trick choices. What happens when half your band disappears like rogue socks in the wash, forcing you to replace them within a matter of weeks?

"If you'd asked me a month ago if we'd get a couple of new guys within a fortnight, and then two weeks after that we'd be playing a gig, I'd have said there was no way we could do it," admits Alfie. "But it just clicked really well. We had our first gig as a new lineup recently and it was fantastic, so we're all really excited."

Sounds to Itchy like this north London band's luck just keeps coming and coming. How many groups can bounce back from losing half their members, as well as having a run in with their record company (which led to finding a new one), and still come out smiling?

That said, The Holloways have been pretty lucky since they formed. Their first release, 'Two Left Feet', was a massive hit in the independent charts, while Radio One used their follow up, 'Generator', for an advertising campaign. So what's the secret to their success? Alfie believes creating something totally original is the most important thing.

"When something is fresh it makes people go 'ooh, I like the sound of this - it's new', so although we take inspiration from the likes of musical successes The Beatles, Bowie etc, we only really want to sound like us."

It's an admirable thought, though (ironically) a slightly unoriginal one. But we're willing to forgive Alfie, if only because he said when he was young he thought the guitar in Back to the Future was the best thing in the world (after the flying skateboard, naturally). That makes him alright in our books.

We can hardly wait for the band's summer onslaught, which will see a new album released and many a festival performance. Mark our words: The Holloways will be everywhere this season, and we may just be there in the crowd.

Catch coverage of The Holloways last gig on the Channel 4 programme 'Gaymers Grassroots Gigs' on June 3rd.

The band's next gig is at Bath Spa Uni on May 1st.

www.the-holloways.com

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