LIVE REVIEW: HOLY HOLY @ THE FORUM 28/5/22
PHOTO CREDIT: TRAVIS SUTTIE
Lauren’s first written review for Backbeat!
Holy Holy’s ‘Hello My Beautiful World’ Tour
The Forum is a visage of beauty, and so is Holy Holy.
Underneath a starry sky, surrounded by beautiful statues and architecture, I found myself in the front of the stage behind the barricade- a position I’m not too familiar with. Naturally, you could find me in the photographer’s pit, but this time, I’m in amongst the crowd, eagerly awaiting the events of tonight’s show.
There is something about tonight that just takes your breath away. Whether that be the beautiful visage that is The Forum Theatre, the embrace of community from the crowd at this sold out show, or the liveliness and ferocity of the acts for the evening- something about this evening felt rejuvenating.
Igniting the crowd with her energetic dance moves and silvery vocals, Medhanit took to the stage as the first opener for the night. Accompanied by her DJ Charlie, Medhanit had a great balance of songs within her set, able to get the crowd hyped and ready to go with ‘Handsome’ and ‘Franchise’, whilst also including her dance interpretation of Tame Impala’s, ’The Less I Know the Better’.
Covering one of Ariana Grande’s most popular songs, ’Seven Rings’, Medhanit swapped out the verses from Grande’s song, replacing it with verses from Lauren Hill’s ‘Black Rage’. This made for a song that, as perfectly described by Medhanit herself, “you can get down to and ponder in between that”.
Following Medhanit, came Hayley Mary and her 5 piece band. Consisting of Hayley with lead vocals, the backing vocals were shared amongst her bassist and two of her three guitarists, while the drummer and remaining guitarist focused on setting the rhythm pace.
Sometimes you come across bands that lack relationship and have an unbalanced power dynamic between the vocals and instrumentals during songs. This however, wasn’t the case for Hayley Mary and her backing support- there was enough room for all members to shine through. With angelic backing vocals that accompanied Hayley’s rocky tone, the band’s instrumental sound was neither overpowering or underwhelming, and their chemistry shone through with their synchronized dancing during
Hayley Mary reprised her Triple J Like A Version cover, “Chemtrails Over The Country Club”, originally by Lana Del Ray. Painted in a static red light for the entirety of her set, Hayley Mary was an embodiment of strength, and won favour with a lot of the girls in the crowd- it’s always exciting seeing such a powerful, rocky band being led by a strong, passionate woman- and I’m very glad I was introduced to Hayley Mary’s music.
Moments after closing their set, crowds dispersed back into their many conversations as the production crew were quick to get the stage prepped for the headlining act, Holy Holy. One thing to note, always make sure you have ear plugs on hand- protecting your hearing is incredibly important, and also helps when there’s a sudden booming drum being sound-checked; the drum emitted such a low, guttural noise- I could visibly see the crowd of people around me shaken by its force.
Following the final sound-checks, the lights dimmed just on time, the crowd's cheers beginning to grow in anticipation as everyone took their place on the stage. Accompanied by their drummer, another guitarist and the holiest of backing vocals by the ever angelic CLEWS, Oscar and Tim opened the sold out show starting with Believe Anything, How You Been, Maybe You Know, and Faces. Their infectious energy shone through every melodic lick of the guitar, partnered with their dancing, as the crowd grew lively.
“Thank you so much! It feels so great to be with you again!”
Following on with Flight and Sandra, came a song I had only ever dreamed of seeing live. As the opening chords to the ballad Sentimental and Monday began to fill the Forum with those familiar, transcendent guitar chords. I still have vivid memories as a sixteen year old student, studying in the library of my school with headphones in, listening to this song… and I cannot fathom the feeling in my chest, being twenty-two years old now, and being able to witness a sea of people singing along to this song in a live setting. It was, and will probably always be, something I’ll remember for years to come.
A group of people decided to climb shoulders, waving their arms slowly in the air during Sentimental and Monday, only to stay above the crowd for Elevator and Frida.
I know people are tired of discussing covid, but you cannot talk about the release of ‘Hello My Beautiful World’, without the strain of the Coronavirus pandemic. Despite the physical effects of covid-19, the hardest thing I found within the almost 3 years of this pandemic, was the physical disconnection we had from each other. Being unable to see loved ones, unable to be in the presence of someone who you cared for; it was a difficult time. The effects of this isolation and period of time away, still has an aftermath of conditions and habits that are still rippled through months following the lock downs.
So being immersed in the crowd of Holy Holy, seeing the teary faces of loved ones, wrapped in the warm embrace of another, it felt like a shift in dynamic- as if nature was correcting itself. I could only stand in a small amount of jealousy at the fact I was on my own, but mostly awe.
Holy Holy’s performance was pure healing magic itself; undoing years of isolation and negative feelings, in just over an hour long set.
“Let’s form a cult, who wants to join a cult,” laughed Tim, earning a cheer from the crowd, “it’s mainly gigs and red wine.”
Continuing the party with ICU, So Tired - Coda, the boys brought out special guest Hayley Mary, to accompany them in covering Empire of The Sun’s, Walking On A Dream. Hayley’s rocky vocal strength and tone, paired heavenly alongside Tim’s, captivated everyone within the room before smoothly transitioning to Aftergone.
Aftergone had to be the crowd favourite for the evening. A chorus of voices joining in for the entirety of the song, only proving the power of music, and how it transcends all barriers (including that of releasing an album during an isolation period where you can’t go out and physically enjoy it or listen to it with friends in person).
Closing the show with the grandest of finales, Holy Holy pulled out the big guns, playing Teach Me About Dying, You Cannot Call for Love Like A Dog, their cover of Green Light originally by Lorde (and sung beautifully alongside the gems that are CLEWS), and True Lovers.
“Lovers, true or other, this is for you”.
I couldn’t help but laugh at myself, as I saw one of many smitten couples pull each other close and boop noses during the closing number- it was so cute, I wanted to throw up right there and then.
There’s rarely moments when I’m left absolutely speechless. At a complete loss for words, unable to fathom how I truly felt within a moment. To say that Holy Holy, with their captivating stage presence, iridescent performance as a duo and with their accompanying band and Clews… it’s something I can only describe in very few words: breathtaking, beautiful, impassioned.
Walking out of Holy Holy, despite being alone, for the very first time in a long time (probably since before covid), I felt whole again. Holy Holy are a band that have left an impression on me that will never fade. I can only hope I have a loved one to bring along with me the next time I see them.
