BAND OF HOLY JOY

And the magic of the land / lay in the madness of the light"
Conceived in a New Cross squat by Newcastle émigré Johny Brown in 1984, the band have endured bruises, battles and numerous line-ups without ever losing the magical essence that has abided at the heart of their emotional worries and philosophies. Their idiosyncratic mangling of punk, folk, Brechtian vaudeville cabaret and occult channelling of the strangeness of everyday life opens up warmly wild anarchic spaces, as any participant at a Holy Joy gig will testify to.
But with renewed strength and stability, How to Kill a Butterfly represents a new phase, practically a rebirth in the band's history. Never without grace, Band of Holy Joy are now in command of a more sophisticated and subtle emotional pallet than ever before, giving full sonic reign to previously submerged psychogeographical concerns. Butterfly explores a weird Northern hinterland where the rural and industrial meet delving deeply into the landscape and throwing arms around the dark with a mixture of terror and bliss. These new songs unfold slowly, subtly – creeping up on you, taking their time but not averse to kicking in a door or two if necessary.