20 May 2022 – Fortitude Music Hall Brisbane – review by Jeremy Bean-Hodges – photography by Richard Boltron
Going into the Holy Holy gig at the Fortitude Music Hall last Friday, I was unsure what to expect. Holy Holy have what might be referred to as the Silverchair Problem: their discography (four LPs in eight years) covers a significant change in sound, from guitar-based indie pop-rock in their first two releases, into beat-driven music with significant house and EDM influences. The challenge, in a live gig, is to fuse their old audience with their new music and somehow bring everyone along for the ride.
It turns out that I needn’t have worried: Holy Holy blew everyone away in a spectacularly good live performance, where sheer quality accounted for any differences of taste.
Right from the opener, Believe Anything, Holy Holy (guitarist/singer Oscar Dawson and singer/guitarist Timothy Carroll) were sharp, crisp, and powerful, playing off the fever-pitch excitement of a raucous packed house. A pair of recent-enough singles – 2021’s How You Been and 2019’s Maybe You Know – followed, before the band segued into Faces. The sample which forms that song’s eponymous hook – doooo do-do do-do doo, bhm!-bhm! – wasn’t required – the crowd did a perfectly good job on its own. The song itself is an absolute blast.
Through the middle of the show Holy Holy dipped a little further into their past, to satisfy those who’d come for the guitar pop. Songs like Elevator and Teach Me About Dying are beautiful tracks, but it’s their one ballad, Sentimental and Monday, that is really a little bit special. Filled with space, tinged with melancholy, and infused with a little hope, it’s one of Australia’s most under-appreciated melodies. When given room to breathe, as it is in a live setting, it’s a thing of delicate beauty.
As a live band, Holy Holy are far greater than the sum of their discography. There are two main reasons for this, the first being their sense of egalitarianism and generosity on stage. Dawson and Carroll both clearly respect each other’s talents and are more than comfortable passing the spotlight to each other; even better than that, they make full use of their support cast. CLEWS (sister duo Lily and Grace Richardson) didn’t just guest-feature on The Aftergone – they made vocal appearances on a number of tracks across the night, and their four-part harmonies with Dawson and Carroll were regular highlights. Both support acts emerge for a cover of Walking on a Dream, and everyone (including off-stage support) gets a gig for the final song of the night. Both Dawson and Carroll also made full use of the width of the stage, engaging the entire audience for the whole 90 minutes they were on stage. For what is notionally a duo performance, there’s an incredible sense of team about the show.
The other reason why Holy Holy excel in the live arena is their high standard of musicianship. As an LP, 2021’s Hello My Beautiful World felt a little flat at times, as it was filled with pumping danceability but occasionally neglected the songwriting. That gets swiftly forgotten live, as the sheer ferocity of the performances overcomes any shortcomings in the source material. The Aftergone is a capital-E Event when performed live; even Port Rd, a confusing mish-mash of styles that never finds a convincing middle ground, keeps the energy going in-concert. Much of this is due to the sheer bombast of Oscar Dawson’s guitar – he has been nominated twice for Live Guitarist of the Year, and the only mystery is how he hasn’t yet won.
As for the support acts themselves: Tasmanian artist Medhanit was a solid introductory act, who presented some strong original material but confused slightly with a choice of Ariana Grande’s 7 Rings as a final cover for a Holy Holy crowd. Hayley Mary was a polished rock-and-roll professional – if such a thing isn’t an oxymoron – who is surely ready to embark on her own headline shows soon enough, once she is done with supporting Liam Gallagher in the coming months. She is one of those rare people gifted with a voice that immediately evokes sticky carpets and smoky band rooms – in other words, she was born to sing rock music.
In summary, Holy Holy blew all expectations away with a set that brimmed with flair, power, vigour, and an extremely high standard of musicianship. They exploited their body of work to its full potential and were wholly deserving of the rapturous reception they received. This is high praise, but they might well be one of the best and most satisfying live acts in the country.
