Es wird laut im Februar! Der Winter, besonders in Berlin, ist kein leichter, wenn die Sonne sich für maximal zwei bis drei Tage aus den grauen Wolken traut. Da hilft manchmal ein Stupser melodischer Riffs, unterstützt mit der Power von zwei Schlagzeugen, Wunder. So ist es mit dem neuen Album “Ländmark” der finnischen Rockband The Holy. Uns vor dem Album auch noch unbekannt, freuen wir uns umso mehr, euch das Quintett aus dem Norden im Interview genauer vorzustellen! Inklusive wertvoller Anspieltipps und, viel wichtiger, einer Headline-Tour durch Deutschland im Gepäck bringen The Holy euch sicher durch den restlichen Winter.
The Holy im Interview
Anna: For a smooth start, can you introduce yourselves and your band to people here in Germany who haven’t heard from you yet?
The Holy: We are The Holy, a rock quintet from Helsinki, Finland. The band was founded in 2014 and we have released an EP and two albums with a third one set to be released in February 2024. We love making records but we are most known for our energetic live shows.
Anna: To point out the most obvious fun-fact about your band: you have two drummers. It may seem a simple question, but why? Do you feel like this opens more musical spaces to explore that you couldn’t with a single drummer?
The Holy: We started out with two drummers because we had two people that both wanted to play drums in the band hah! But also because we were the most interested in making the biggest wall of sound possible. Today we feel that it opens a lot of options in the rhythmic landscape and makes the band sound unique. And also because a third drummer wouldn’t fit the stage!
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Nordic inspirations
Anna: Growing up in Finland, what music did you grow up with? What was the musical landscape like when you started out as a band almost 10 years ago?
The Holy: I think most of the band has been growing up with our parents a-class vinyl collections. But also around international music media, like Pitchfork, Stereogum and NME.. So kind of all the dad rock, fusion jazz, folk and early heavy metal meeting up with contemporary pop music, hip hop and indie.. I doubt that the Finnish music scene or tradition has been that influential for us at all.
Anna: Can you name three Nordic artists or bands that inspire you right now and you want to recommend to us? We’re always looking for new good music input!
The Holy: Of course! Elia Lombardini is violin prodigy with finnish and italian roots. He has collaborated with us in the past both in records and live but is now building his own career with cinematic contemporary instrumental music. Virta is an instrumental jazz trio, but expanding their sound also to electronic, post rock and psychedelic landscapes. They just released their new album a few months ago and we are very excited to play some shows together in the future. Antti Hevosmaa from the band also contributed some horns on our latest record. Jonsjooel is finnish but now berlin based composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist who just released his debut last year. He is also helping us out on tour with his insane drumming this year.
„The record’s main aesthetic is to be an invitation to come see us live.“
Anna: Talking about your new album “LÄNDMARK”, it’s your third album as a band. How excited are you releasing it? And how different was the process compared to your first two albums?
The Holy: We are of course insanely excited to put out new music after a long break! We released our previous album Mono Freedom in the middle of covid-times roughly three years ago and have been waiting since to release new music. We have been sitting on top of these songs for a long time. Many other bands have also been in this same position. It feels like a new era is starting in our scene.
„Kind of post-apocalyptical dream.“
Anna: If you can, how would you describe LÄNDMARK visually?
The Holy: I had this dream of a cold windy ocean and Escher -esque patterns and repetitive lines really burned into my eyes when I started to work on these songs. Saturated landscapes and mountains… deep forests and waters… kind of a post-apocalyptic dream from a city living person’s perspective. Some kind of study and reflection of the modern relationship between human and nature. A need for nature, but the dream and memory about it is starting to saturate, glitch and break down…
Anna: You have a couple of instrumental songs on the album and I was wondering, when do you decide that a song needs lyrics or when it doesn’t?
The Holy: Basically, all of our songs start with a prepared demo that Eetu has made. We listen to it first and then start to work on it as a group and after a while it starts to feel like The Holy. Putting instrumental songs into the album was not a decision made beforehand, but during the recording process we started to have discussions about what our concept is and that we need to trust our gut instinct better. After that we just realised that there are a few songs in the album that carry a big emotional load that we want to just deliver to the listener to be interpreted.
„The atmosphere at Haldern Pop was electric.“
Anna: First and foremost, you are a live band, and all of your songs sound like they will unfold an incredible amount of energy played live. What is it that you love about playing shows the most? Which are the shows you played that you will never forget and why?
The Holy: First and foremost, we love the way our music comes alive on stage. Each of us always gives 110% of ourselves on stage. It’s cleansing and every gig is kind of a therapy session for each of us. The connection we create as a band in a live situation is something unique. All your worries and cares are forgotten for a moment.
It’s hard to pick one particular gig, but there have been a few unforgettable moments for sure. Certainly one of the most unforgettable gigs was when the Covid restrictions were still in their final stages and we played under restricted conditions in Haldern Pop, Germany. Everyone in the audience and performers were tested for Covid and we were booked for two shows, one during the day and one in the evening. The first gig was in the middle of a field where the audience came in bike groups to watch the gig. It was weird. Huge field and maybe 100 people. Then in the evening, at our second gig in the centre of a small town, the energy of the audience somehow exploded. The originally seated audience just went wild and no longer cared about any safety restrictions and people were dancing, kissing, and hugging. It felt like being part of something very special. The atmosphere was electric and that energy was reflected to us from the audience. A great moment and a great festival.
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„Germans are taking the music seriously.“
Anna: Being people who enjoy live music so much, what were your top 5 favourite concerts you saw last year?
The Holy: Zwei Last year seeing Christine and The Queens live in Flow Festival was probably the highlight show of the year. Such a boss. Also the legendary Moderat performing at the same festival was a blast. Gilla Band playing in a small cap Helsinki venue Kuudes Linja made a huge impact and was really inspiring to see in a small joint. Jonsjooel record release show in Korjaamo was a blast, and also Erki Pärnoja playing his new album “Jäljed” in Tallinn with an orchestra and visuals by Kaupo Kikkas was a wholesome experience.
Anna: Are there any plans of touring Germany? What is your impression of German rock fans when you played here during previous festivals and tours?
The Holy: We will be back in Germany in October! We love playing in Germany, Germans are taking the music seriously. They are REALLY into music, they buy shirts and records and are so passionate about it. It’s wonderful. And if they don’t like it, they’re not afraid to show it either. In general, the music culture in Germany is so alive and well and it seems like every little village has its own annual festival where they want the best bands to play. It’s really rare these days and it’s really something to be envied. That’s why we’re thrilled to come back:
17. – 19.05. Beverungen, Orange Blossom Special
21.10. Aschaffenburg, Colos Saal
22.10. Langenberg, KGB Kultur.Güter.Bahnhof.
23.10. Berlin, Privatclub
25.10. Hamburg, headCRASH
26.10. Köln, Yard Club Kantine
Anna: For our last question we always ask for an untold story – something you’ve never shared in an interview before. Is there something you want to get off your chest now?
The Holy: The first ever German festival we did, the whole trip took only 16 hours in total. We left Helsinki, drove to the festival site, did a quick soundcheck before the show and then played in front of a killer audience. After that we packed up, took a quick nap at the hotel and headed home. It was a good introduction to touring abroad!
Hier könnt ihr in das neue Album Ländmark reinhören!
Fotocredit: Samuli Matias Vienola
