The Holloways - So This Is Great Britain

Holloway Road isn’t short of attractions. Home to Emirates Stadium, and one my favourite venues, Nambucca; it now has something else to be proud of - The Holloways, whose debut album proves that they will soon be major contenders.

Opener Great Britain sets the tone for the whole album. A fucked-up version of all those songs you only ever hear on The Last Night Of The Proms (think ‘In the land of hope and glory/Do we really rule the waves?’), it’s a scathing critique of our modern culture and society, which at the same time affirms that living in Britain is still better than living anywhere else. It’s an inexplicable feeling that most of us can identify with, which is part of what makes this album so great.

The stand out track is the current, calypso-tinged single, Generator. Its simple, infectious happiness makes you forget all about the cold and rain, and bounce around chanting ‘I can get a generator and a record player and generate the music that makes you feel better’. Next up are a few tracks that unfortunately sound like filler, most notably Fit For A Fortnight, but following the tracks, previous single Two Left Feet and Reinvent Myself, are so good that you won’t remember the earlier disappointment.

In the midst of such riotous joy, the beautiful ballad Most Lonely Face is all the more poignant. It’s a touching tale of falling in love with a girl who ‘didn’t know if she had any soul left to save’. Don’t worry, though, you’ll soon be in high spirits again, thanks to the exuberant Happiness & Penniless, reminding us that it’s better to have fun than accumulate money, as ‘What’s the point of money if you’ve got no time to use it?’

There’s a bit more filler, and then the final track, Fuck Ups, a hilarious attack on the people of Britain, rhyming ‘Bin Laden’ with ‘hard on’, and singing about a 33-year-old grandma who’ll still be wearing fake Burberry when she’s 75. As the album draws to a close, you’ll be left with a massive smile.

Verdict: There may be a few filler tracks, but the stand out tracks more than make up for that. Great fun to banish the winter blues.