Tell me a bit about yourself, what have you been up to over the past 12 months?
We are a 5-piece alternative rock/metal band from Whitley Bay and have been gigging consistently for around 3 years now, making us OAPs in the scene. Over the past 12 months, we have been on a little hiatus after some people management and changing things around. However, with the addition of our new drummer Edson, we have come back louder, faster and harder and intend to carry on the same way. We are fresh off the back of two back-to-back gigs in Stockton at NE Volume Music Bar and Newcastle, where we returned to The Globe, a personal favourite of ours.
Where did your bands name come from and how did you form?
When we originally formed back in 2018, we performed a few gigs under the name Blackout Vision before changing it to Criminal Holiday in the summer of 2019. The name doesn’t necessarily have any deeper meaning. To be completely honest, we just put two words that we thought sounded cool together at the time although Billy’s dad likes to tell people that the name comes from Ben getting caught pinching loose cans of beer from Morrisons when we were younger however, just in case any parents read this, this is categorically untrue and historically inaccurate.
What has been the biggest highlight of making music so far?
We have had many highs over the course of our years together however some have been greater than others. One highlight in particular was making our main stage debut at Mighty Dub Fest in Alnwick last year. The weather was fantastic, the atmosphere was electric and we gave one of our best performances to date. That remains to be one of our favourite gigs we have ever done.
So how did you first get into making music?
It all started way back in 2011 when Ben and Billy first met in primary school. After many years of sitting in Billy’s bedroom with Paper Jamz, we decided we should actually bite the bullet and learn to play actual instruments before officially forming in 2020 where we played our first gig at the o2 Academy (now NX) where we met Thomas, Fin and our original drummer. From that point onwards, we became the Criminal Holiday you all detest to this very day!
How would you describe your sound?
To sum up the sound of Criminal Holiday: It's like taking a nostalgic trip back to the 80s but with a fresh twist. We're all about blending the classic metal sounds from bands like Van Halen and Mötley Crüe with a modern alternative edge inspired by The Amazons and Biffy Clyro. We like to keep the energy high with mean riffs and catchy hooks mixing all of that into stuff we think people will find fresh and exciting.
What was the process like in recording your most recent single 'Bring Me To Life (Waiting For You)'?
The recording process for Bring Me To Life was fairly straightforward as we had been playing the song live for just under a year at that point so all details were fully ironed out prior to recording the track. Russell (producer at Loft Studios) was very easy to work with and he helped us achieve the best sound we possibly could to present the track the way we wanted. An all round great experience.
What is 'Bring Me To Life (Waiting For You)' about?
When taken at face value, Bring me to life is a song about habits. It’s about constantly going back to old habits no matter how dirty or painful they may be. It’s about knowing that you are doing something wrong without actually feeling that you may be hurting yourself or other people, purely for the homely comfort that these habits bring you.
What can your listeners expect from your upcoming music?
Big things are coming soon from Criminal Holiday. We’ve been in the studio and production of an EP is underway. With Single Bring me to Life already on streaming platforms, you can get a preview of what to expect. There’ll be a massive variety of sounds, from the 80s metal inspired Cease and Desist, packed full of hard hitting riffs, virtuous guitar licks and solos, and groovy, hard hitting bass and drums, to the MC style, blistering fast punk track Parking in a bus Lane which is a fan favourite at our live performances and sure to get the adrenaline flowing. The style of the rest of the songs on the EP fall somewhere between these two, and we are sure it will show off the broad and unique sound of Criminal Holiday.
So what is next for you?
After our long-awaited return at the Grove in April, we have a jam packed year ahead of us with our first headliner in a year in June at The Globe and then carrying on into the summer with Coast Fest and Warkfest so very near on the horizon. Towards the end of the year, we plan on returning to the studio to finish our upcoming EP which can most likely be expected towards the back end of this year leaning into early 2025. We plan on not taking this time for granted from now on as being apart for a little while made us miss everything about being in a band and we hope to exceed expectations in the coming year. Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.
By - Katie Graham
Comments