Artist: Holt
Title: 80 Mile Beach
Catalogue Number: truenote006
Format: cd album

80 Mile Beach is the first release by Dublin based quartet Holt, on deadslackstring records.Having travelled across Australia, both together and separately, Holt was formed in 2002 out of a need to recapture the experience of this vast country in words and sound. In order to recreate the backpacker spirit, they closed themselves off in cottages in Kerry and Wexford over the summer of 2003, surrounded themselves with copious mind-altering substances and occasionally went down the local for quiet pints. The lyrics and music were arrived at in this relaxed fashion, with most recording done in the middle of the night. Following these sessions, the band returned to Dublin to lay down some trumpet, uillean pipes and drums. An appearance on a Hot Press cd, Irish Times reviews, and a bunch of well received gigs around the country, headlining, and supporting Stars of the City and Nad Navillus took them through the rest of 2003.

Named after the Australian prime minister Harold Holt, who went for a swim and never came back, 80 Mile Beach delves into Australian culture through the use of Banjo Patterson poems (The Flying Gang) and songs about Holt’s death (Harold’s Tactical Withdrawal).Their songs reflect lives on the move and endless dirt roads, broken hearts and desert crossings, the sound of rain forests at night and birds on distant islands...

The music itself is as varied as the subject matter...wide eyed country, thundering squalls of guitar, wine stained piano and finger-picking, sad blasts of trumpet and the drone of didjeridu, bleary eyed harmonies and haunting late night sounds. It’s an eclectic mix that that the band like to call the first Australiana release, although you’d have to ask Andy Irvine about that one…

Holt are:

David Colohan guitar vocals

Conor Foley percussion keyboards

Stephen O’Brien guitar

Alan Coalfield bass guitar

Holt play live throughout the spring and summer of 2003.