SXSW 2016 Interview: Holy Esque
Scottish hard rock quartet Holy Esque marked their fourth consecutive appearance at SXSW this year, despite the fact that Creative Scotland didn’t sponsor an official showcase at SXSW 2016. I was excited to hear them play on the Friday night TuneCore showcase at Vulcan Gas Company, though as it turned out the stormy early evening weather (which editor Mary has already noted in her Friday night review) created complications for everyone involved. Holy Esque themselves were late arriving to the venue, as rain and slow traffic in downtown Austin had delayed their arrival. I had arrived in plenty of time myself, but I quickly found that Vulcan Gas Company wasn’t going to be an easy place to conduct an interview. There was no quiet corner to duck into, and the large crowd in attendance on the night were noisy with anticipation for acts later on the docket, including the night’s headliner Wyclef Jean.
In the end, when I did manage to meet up with the band and make introductions, we were left with no option but to step outside into the alley behind the club for our interview. Once outside, we had to dodge cars and golf carts driving through the alley, and at one point the ever vigilant security staff nearly locked us out, which would have been a problem as Holy Esque were very close to going on stage. In spite of all the confusion, the four band members were gracious enough to give a very brief interview highlighting their reasons for returning to Austin year after year, as well as making a brief mention of their heavy-hitting debut album ‘At Hope’s Ravine’, which was released at the end of February via Beyond the Frequency and Believe Recordings.
Thanks to Matt for coordinating this interview.
Keep an eye on TGTF for my review of Holy Esque’s performance at Vulcan Gas Company, along with my other Friday night activities, which will post soon. In the meantime, you can see a few sneak preview photos from their set just below.
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