Second up on This Feeling’s Test Tranmission night was Bristol’s Holy Youth Movement. They have been supporting headliners The Utopiates across the UK this past summer.
Back in the 00s, many bands tried to bridge the gap between rock ‘n’ roll and breaks. Kasabian and Radio 4 got the closest, although, if we’re honest, neither married the two to a level the scene deserved.
Step forward Holy Youth Movement!
Everything about them screams Kasabian debut, nu-school breaks, and 3am mayhem in nightclubs (remember them!). Previous singles ‘Information Is beautiful’ and ‘Tranquilizer’ explode into the ether like a Serge Pizzorno wet dream. The former is blessed with the melodic yet destructive synths of Justice vs Simian alongside the beauty and volatility of the Primals ‘XTRMNTR’. It allows their message of humanity to come together, no matter the chaos, to land instantaneously.
Images courtesy of Caffy St Luce
‘Tranquilizer’ however, does what all post ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’ Kasabian albums have attempted and failed. It delivers a post-apocalyptic rave that throbs and thunders its way to the soul. The guttural electronica of Underground meets the spirit of BRMC ‘Whatever Happened to My Rock ‘n’ Roll’. It leaves the room feeling hollow afterward. It looked your soul in the eye, licked it, fucked it, and left whistling leaving you desperate for more.
It’s easy to see why the legendary Jagz Kooner hooked up with the band in the studio. Holy Youth Movement have tapped into the post-headliner twitching hours of Bestival and Secret Garden Party from 2005 to 2015. Crucial to the success of this live slot is their ability to enthral and show off like a rock ‘n’ band. They’re not willing to just bring rock music to dance once again. They want both to be as one and, for the most part, they nailed this aim.