The band's final line-up consisted of David "Alfie" Jackson (vocals, guitar), Bryn Fowler (bass) and Edwin Harris (drums). The Holloways, having a rest after touring the UK 2010. Alfie, (see pix) chanced his arm on DJ deck's and span some funky tunes & shook a leg-with 7'3' fine artist Pandemonia, at Zoe Griffin Christmas bash at 5 star Montcalm Hotel, Marble Arch, London. Mr Jackson music choice, had the likes of actress Nikki Sanderson, Dynamo mr music magic himself, Baby D, Miss Frank, Prince Cassius, Amy Studt, Heaven Sent Thugs, singer Lula, Scott Cornwall, celebrity personal trainer Shaun Stafford, life coach Ali Campbell and world record breaker Michael Perham, whooping it up. Sept their performing at FashArt Charity Gala dinner at the Natural History Museum in aid of Caudwell Children.
The previous shows earlier this year were Sun, 04 Jul Cazfest Bishops Stortford, 09 July The Box Crewefirst, Sat 10 July Boots Feel Good Festival in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support at Boots HQ, Thane Road, Beeston, following on from their stage appearance 2010 was on 27 Feb, at "Lets Rock Cancer" at Leadmill, Sheffield, DJd at Camden Lock's Proud venue for the fund raiser for homeless charity "Shelter" and to raise the profile of the campaign to save the BBC 6 Music station, that's earmarked by Corporation bosses for the chop, and played a gig at The Dirty South, Lewisham on 1 April to a packed house. The guys are ready to follow up 2009 tour-that closed with 36 gig UK tour in Nov/Dec, that was spread over 5 weeks, plus the extra dates, when they accompanied the band Shed7 on 7 out of 10 dates of Shed's tour, finishing on 22 Dec.
On 2009 tour, they performed and promoted their new album "No Smoke, No Mirrors". Prior to their UK tour, the guys have recorded and released their video of single "Jukebox". They appeared once on Big Brother Little brother and were asked back a second time for the eviction night. All in all the band are excited after their successful tour in Britain playing their new material from their Album as well as classic Holloways anthems to very enthusiastic audiences.
They appeared once on Big Brother Little brother and were asked back a second time for the eviction night. All in all the band are excited after their successful tour in Britain playing their new material from their Album as well as classic Holloways anthems to very enthusiastic audiences. Full Biog
Feeling reborn is a rare treat; but The Holloways resilience in recent times has led to what feels like a rebirth. Reaping such a rare reward was the first step along the clear path that now lies ahead for a band who once again have much to smile about; not that The Holloways had stopped smiling - not for very long anyway. "The sun doesn't always shine" is one of the band’s phrases to live by; along with "everything happens for a reason”.
In the early months of 2009, Alfie and Bryn were busy recording additional new material to kick-start the year. By April they decided to start actively seeking new members and as luck would have it, in the very first rehearsal they found guitarist Mike Baker, who - after playing just one song with the band - had done enough for Alfie and Bryn to make up their mind. The following day Edwin Harris set up his drums and did a quick warm up and before even playing a song, the decision again, was easy. Luck had clearly swung back in The Holloways’ favour and a new lease of life took the boys into the studio for a couple of hectic weeks before doing a few gigs and recording 3 brand new songs and they’re back doing what they do best - playing music.
2008 had been soul destroying for the band. Much conspired to prevent full scale releases of the exciting new material recorded at the legendary Sawmills Studio. The biggest setback was the long, drawn out legal battle across the pond involving their stateside former label TVT.
The darkest hour before the dawn came in December with a lot of smoke as The Holloways' home - Nambucca - caught fire. Much was lost in the fire - practically everything. This was the final straw for Dave and Rob who felt the end had come with nothing seeming to go the band's way. However, the founding members - Alfie and Bryn - felt the previous 3 years of good fortune by far outweighed the 12 months of bad fortune; and having weathered the storm, they concluded "2009 has to be good. Yin and yang and all that." - The sun doesn't always shine indeed.
The Holloways had an exciting start to life with the critically acclaimed debut - "So This Is Great Britain?” - and 2007 saw the band storm sold out shows across the UK with singles Dance Floor, Generator and Two Left Feet pumping on the radio airwaves.
Now, the energy and the bond in the band has seen the boys enjoy an intense schedule which is already relighting many fires ahead of the release of the new album – No Smoke, No Mirrors – which is due for a September release.
Everyone is massively excited for the summer schedule; the boys will be back on the road gigging the brand new set featuring songs from the forthcoming album alongside the classic Holloways favourites.
AAA
The Holloways Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ripping up the dancefloors in all and a plenty,
Wasted with the young,
Just like our education
We were at the school of life, learning valuable lessons,
Be polite to the police or you'll end up arrested,
And I apologised to be wasted made in England
I don't know what they thought of me,
Why don't you open up and see
And now that everybody wants,
Everybody wants,
Everybody wants,
Their piece of fame and,
When it never comes,
When it never comes,
Everybody wants,
Someone to blame
We were looking for the dream, we'd be promised as children,
A purpose and a pleasure and a little fulfillment,
But the life that's advertised,
Is just a dream to cling to
When you think the jackpot has finally hit you,
It's under the void, "Sorry, we can't permit you",
You're just not qualified,
You tried a new attestive
Suss out what you can do,
'Cause this dream was not designed for you
And now that everybody wants,
Everybody wants,
Everybody wants,
Their piece of fame and,
When it never comes,
When it never comes,
Everybody wants,
Someone to blame
Now it's snowing in the toilets, oh my will I carry on,
Take a bow, it's not alright,
You bag it up, rip it out, shape it up and it's alright,
The dogs won't bark tonight
The dogs won't bark tonight,
The dogs won't bark tonight
The dogs won't bark tonight,
The dogs won't bark, no, the dogs won't bark
'Cause everybody wants,
Everybody wants,
Everybody wants,
Their piece of fame and,
When it never comes,
When it never comes,
Everybody wants,
Someone to blame
Now it's snowing in the toilets, oh my will I carry on,
Take a bow, it's not alright,
You bag it up, rip it out, shape it up and it's alright,
The dogs won't bark tonight
The Holloways' song "AAA" is a reflection on the disillusionment of young people who grew up in England in the early 2000s. The opening verse is nostalgic, remembering the hedonistic partying of youth. But the second verse shows a more mature and cynical perspective, recognizing that everything was not as innocent as it seemed. From the school of life, they learned hard lessons about authority and responsibility. And, in particular, they learned about how the life they were promised, the one with purpose and fulfillment, was just a dream. The chorus is a catchy repetition of the idea that everyone wants fame, but that it never comes, leaving everyone searching for someone to blame. The final verse is a bleak image of snow in the toilets, an image of hopelessness, and the chorus repeats one final time.
Overall, the song is a critique of the emptiness and disillusionment that young people feel after the hedonism of their youth. It is a stark reminder that the dreams we are sold are rarely the reality we experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember where we met at the turn of the century,
Do you recall the time when we first met during the beginning of the 21st century?
Ripping up the dancefloors in all and a plenty,
We were partying hard and dancing all night long.
Wasted with the young,
We were young and inexperienced, and didn't always make wise choices.
Just like our education
Our education was lacking in substance and didn't fully prepare us for the real world.
We were at the school of life, learning valuable lessons,
We were going through life and gaining valuable experience and knowledge along the way.
Be polite to the police or you'll end up arrested,
We learned that it's important to be respectful to the police, otherwise we could face serious consequences.
And I apologised to be wasted made in England
I regretted wasting my life and potential in England.
I don't know what they thought of me,
I'm unsure of what others thought of me.
Why don't you open up and see
Why don't you try to understand and see things from my perspective?
We were looking for the dream, we'd be promised as children,
We were searching for the ideal life we were promised as children.
A purpose and a pleasure and a little fulfillment,
We were seeking meaning, joy, and a sense of accomplishment in life.
But the life that's advertised,
However, the ideal life that is often portrayed in media and advertising is unrealistic and unattainable.
Is just a dream to cling to
It's just a fantasy that we hold onto to give us hope and motivation.
When you think the jackpot has finally hit you,
When you think you've finally achieved success or happiness,
It's under the void, 'Sorry, we can't permit you',
It turns out it was all for nothing, and you're told you can't have what you wanted.
You're just not qualified,
You're not good enough or don't have the necessary skills or experience.
You tried a new attestive
You attempted something new, but it didn't work out.
Suss out what you can do,
Figure out what your strengths and abilities are.
'Cause this dream was not designed for you
Realize that the ideal life you were promised may not be achievable for you personally.
Now it's snowing in the toilets, oh my will I carry on,
Now everything seems to be falling apart, and it's hard to keep moving forward.
Take a bow, it's not alright,
Try to accept that things aren't okay and that's okay.
You bag it up, rip it out, shape it up and it's alright,
Try to fix the problem by working hard and making changes.
The dogs won't bark tonight
Things are calm and peaceful now.
Everybody wants, their piece of fame and, when it never comes,
Everyone wants to be recognized and celebrated, but often it doesn't happen.
Everybody wants, someone to blame
People are quick to place blame when things go wrong, instead of accepting responsibility.
Contributed by Mila W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.