The Warm-Up: Holy Holy Concert Review

It’s time to go back to before 26, when I was 25, and even before that to when I was 20 and seeing Holy Holy for the first time at my first ever festival, Groovin the Moo 2019 in Townsville. At the age of 25, my Groovin the Moo 2024 tickets were refunded due to the festival’s cancellation, a minor foreshadowing of the loss of Australian festival icon Splendour in the Grass, which I might never be able to say I went to now. WAAX had disbanded (temporarily) the year before, and now Ball Park Music was doing their final show at The Zoo before it closed down. I had a convoluted schedule clash which left me trying to sell or give away my Brisbane Holy Holy ticket for their Cellophane tour while I saw Noah Dillon in the Stranded Bar, which would close a few months later. I was comforted by a trip interstate to see this not-a-Christian rock band the next night in Kingscliff, but disheartened by an apocalyptic happening in this world of music I’d curated for myself and loved so much.

The LayMusic exists because I was buying tickets for shows I couldn’t even attend and it didn’t make a difference. Venues and bands were dying all around me, the lights switching off for the last time as the buzz of the speakers faded out. I asked myself what else I could do - write. Write something good, and true, and for the world to see in hopes that someone else listens, even just to one song. So in the wake of the announcement of the band’s final tour for the foreseeable future, I’ve chased Holy Holy across state borders again to suck as much life and love and music from this parasocial adoration as I can before they go off into the indefinite abyss of ‘hiatus’.

This is what happened at Holy Holy’s show at the Beach Hotel in Byron Bay on February 15, 2025.

TOMORROW’S FORECAST

A surprise support act that I knew I knew but was so shocked to see was Tomorrow’s Forecast. If you’re familiar with my other reviews, you’ll remember this name from my Undertone Festival review. Tonight we had a 50% Forecast with Olive and Bonnie sharing a stripped back, acoustic set! This was a nice opportunity to focus on their ability to complement each other’s vocal talents as their harmonies and melodies wove together and embellished each other in songs like in Room on My Shelf and Here We Go Again. The girls make a formidable duo (though the band as a four-piece is fantastic too) as they sing introspective lyrics with a soulful Indie sound, that make me feel like I’m watching an insightful teen dramedy or listening to a modern reinterpretation of the Twilight soundtrack (high praise in this household - those songs go hard).

Fave song: Pathetic

CLEWS

Frequently featured in a Holy Holy concert, Clew took to the stage next. I’ve seen sister duo Lily and Grace on-stage doing backing vocals and up the front for an acoustic opening set in the past. Tonight, Holly on drums and Joshua on bass completed the band, showcasing the Indie-pop sweetness of Clews’ songs as their fully-realised versions. The sisters are born entertainers – musically gifted and with a penchant for sarcastic commentary to tide the crowd over while they retune or swap instruments. Songs like Feel and Step Up 2 Me have a dreamy, romantic quality that fools you into thinking Clews have written more than one love song before. Lily and Grace’s ability to lift and support each other vocally lends itself beautifully to their songs which focus on honest, innocent, loving reflections on young heartbreak. But then Hollywood and Crushed use the band’s synchronicity to create an almost otherworldly rock experience. With a tour coming up soon, I’m keen to see Clews head up their own shows later this year, especially this snippet of what’s to come!

Fave song: Hollywood

HOLY HOLY

A familiar tune built up from the stage, a few simple notes on guitar as the house lights began to fade. The band took to the stage, Tim and Oscar taking their positions at the front under the gleam of the disco shark. Impossible Like You, with its builds that arrive like ocean waves crashing on the shore, took a firm grip on the audience who became locked in on the band, entranced by their music for the rest of the night. A chant of ‘Please don’t quit!’ arose early in the set, led by the people I heard throughout the night singing every lyric back to the stage with fierce devotion to this dynamic group. Sentimental and Monday, a staple song for any Holy Holy gig, brought tears to my eyes.

Cellophane was conspicuous in its absence from the set list which favoured the band’s earlier works. I feel that People Change would have been a great addition to include something from the band’s most recent, and potentially last, album. But I have to admit that the surreal sounds and dramatic builds of That Message, Believe Anything and the incredible conjoined Flight and Sandra are the types of songs that have really made Holy Holy a stand-out act to me, indescribably different but with a fantastic range.

That range begins with the more ‘country’ flavoured rock sounds from songs like the rarely-featured If I Were You which was a delightful surprise to see live. My personal hope for the upcoming The Grand Hiatus Tour is that we see the band try to hit every song they’ve released, but I think I’m not alone in having a particular fondness for hits like Believe Anything, Faces and True Lovers. Of course, you can’t have a Holy Holy show without a rocking coda – tonight we got it paired with Aftergone.

Something else I’ve loved about this band is how they’ve gone to lengths to work with an eclectic range of musicians on their tracks, who usually serve as support artists before joining the band as featured artists or backing vocalists. I’ve heard Queen P, Medhanit, Kwame, Sumner and Clews each enhance a track in such an intentional and exciting way, as well as join in live on stage as well. Tonight, Clews jumped back on for a few songs, including their beloved Like A Version of Lorde’s Green Light, paired with an immersive and appropriate lighting sequence.

As they were pushing curfew, we skipped over the usual intermission before the encore; I guess we did our chant earlier when we begged the band not to go on hiatus (it’s not too late to back track now!). But we got an extra few minutes after midnight so the band could wrap up with fan favourite, Teach Me About Dying. I remember hearing this one for the first time at that festival… how long ago that seems to me now.

Fave song: That Message

SOUNDS GOOD?

If you’re looking for some music to fill the void that Holy Holy will leave after hiatus, I have some recommendations for you here:

Boy & Bear – This indie-folk band have a similarly epic stage presence to Holy Holy, but more emphasis on the country-rock vibe. If you like Holy Holy and didn’t already listen to Boy & Bear, now is the time to start – especially with an upcoming Byron Bay show in the beautiful Beach Hotel!

Middle Kids – Middle Kids have a similar energy during a live set that make you want to dance your heart out in the middle of the mosh pit. Their enthusiasm for music is infectious, while carrying whole-heartedly across the range of their songs, from the sad Indie ballads, to the bubbly party rock.

Holy Holy – Whether you love them, like them or have never heard before, please give the band a listen! There’s so much variety and history to explore in the last five albums (and EP!) before the band hits the road one more time (perhaps?) on The Grand Hiatus Tour. You’ll hear more from them (and me!) then.

SHOUT OUTS

Thank you so much to my friend Rahim for coming on this weekend trip, exploring waterfalls and oceans, driving rapidly in the ranges, and getting me to this gig.