Prepare yourself, Peel, as this gig should be a riot.
Holy Moly and the Crackers, one of the most vibrant and exhilarating live bands plying their trade on the UK circuit, are heading to the Peel Centenary Centre next week.
Forged out of a love of punk, rock, folk, rockabilly, Balkan, reggae and ska, and performed with a wicked sense of fun, carnival theatrics and burlesque, Holy Moly and the Crackers are a hard band to pigeon-hole.
However, on the release of their debut album, ’Salem’, late last year, they were described as a ’new kind of sonic madness’, and their wild and cavorting live shows have won them a legion of fans around the country.
The seven-piece band features guitars, drums, fiddle, accordion and trombones, which they skilfully weave into a unique sound that, while straddling several different genres at once, remains true to their core sound.
Singer and fiddle-player Ruth Patterson says that, with so many influences and musical tastes, they often find it hard to pinpoint their sound.
’I guess we’re a mixture of rock and indie with elements of folk and punk,’ said Ruth.
’You can’t really have a fiddle and an accordion in the band without a folk twist. ’I’d say we play mostly upbeat folk rock music that anyone can dance to.
’We have fun with what we do and I think that comes across.’
The hard working band have just released a single, ’Cold Comfort Lane’, and are about to head out on tour after their island debut gig.
’Actually this show is the first show on our European tour,’ she said.
’As soon as we get back to the UK we will head straight onto another ferry to Amsterdam for the night and then onto Germany for a week, and then onto Italy for two weeks.
’We adore travelling so when we have a big tour coming up like this, it really brings us together. It’s a great experience and I see us like one big dysfunctional family.’
Ruth said that they are excited about heading to the island, and are looking forward to finding out about what it has to offer.
’I have heard that the landscape is really beautiful and you’ve got some great castles so we’re looking forward to seeing the sights,’ said Ruth.
’It’s amazing getting to visit new places with the band.
’The whole reason why we do this is to go to play places that are off the beaten track. We enjoy all aspects of touring and the best part is getting to experience new places and meeting the people. It’s nice to do something different for a change!
’I’ve no idea what you’ll make of us! We’ll have to wait and see but I hope they get into it. We love what we do and it’s always great to get a crowd up and about, moving with us. That is what makes a good show for us.’
Holy Moly and the Crackers appear in Peel on Saturday, March 10, from 7.30pm.
Tickets are £18, and are available from Shakti Mann, Ramsey, Celtic Gold, in Peel, Peter Norris , in Douglas or from etickets.im/cc
by Mike Wade
twitter:@iomnewspapers