Holy Moly & The Crackers – ‘Take A Bite’

Released on 5 April this year through Pink Lane Records, ‘Take A Bite’, by Holy Moly & The Crackers is a fast paced romp with a female vocalist whose seductively rich tones could give Imelda May a run for her money.



‘Take A Bite’ is eleven tracks long, which initially makes us wonder why they didn’t stop at 10, or conversely keep going until they had 12. But in listening we realise it is exactly the right number of songs.

Setting out as they mean to continue, ‘All I Got Is You’ is big bold and brash, while track 2 ‘Upside Down’ is fast and furious. Ripping through to the 60s rock/RnB tinged ‘Can’t Get Enough’ (think The Who, The Rolling Stones) and you’ve got more of an idea about what’s going down with this band. Lead vocalist, Ruth Patterson, gives it her all, with a rockabilly swagger that Imelda May might only dream of having. Ruth’s definitely a singer I want to hear more from, and along with the likes of Emily Cappel, is part of a new breed of rambunctiously rollicking vocalists who use their sass and sex appeal to show they’re taking no prisoners.

‘Kiss Me Before You Go’ is a duet between Ruth and Conrad Bird, and musically it’s a battle royale between the accordion of Rosie Bristow, and the horns, guitars, and other instruments. It’s a very pleasing cacophony, if there is such a thing.

 ‘Sister’ is a right rave and you get the feeling that Ruth is really enjoying being savage. Finally there’s a lull after all the frenzied first half of this album, with the much quieter ‘I’d Give It All’, piano led and gentle, with violins giving it that super-classy, almost folky edge – and Patterson showing that she could hold her own in a jazz café – I’d love to see what this band could do at a supper club, such as Boisedale.

Title track ‘Take A Bite’ starts out Bohemian and eastern sounding but the bass guitar slips in and takes hold of the rhythm, giving it a more contemporary edge. Patterson edits her vocals to fit the sound, showcasing her extraordinary talents.

‘Through With Talking’ is fierce and bluesy, with Patterson at her feisty best, while ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ allows drummer Tommy Evans to show us what he’s got behind his kit.

‘Naked In Budapest’ – if you want to be pedantic about it – really should have been the Bohemian sounding track but there’s a certain Eastern European vibe to it with Conrad Bird once again taking the lead vocally. It’s a nice lead up to final song, ‘This Little Light’, which is a hybrid jazz and blues number, and we’re just digging the washboard sound in the beginning. Ruth’s back to her strong vocals, and reminds us a lot of Australian singer songwriter, Wendy Matthews.

‘Take A Bite’, by Holy Moly & The Crackers, is out now. You can find out more about the band and their music from their official website. Also make sure you check out their site for details of their live dates.

Watch the video below for behind the scenes footage of the recording of ‘Take A Bite’:

Holy Moly & The Crackers - The Recording Of Take A Bite (Documentary)

About the author

Lisa has been writing for over 20 years, starting as the entertainment editor on her university newspaper. Since then she's written for Popwrapped, Maximum Pop, Celebmix, and ListenOnRepeat.

Lisa loves all good music, with particular fondness for Jedward and David Bowie. She's interviewed Edward Grimes (Jedward), Kevin Godley, Trevor Horn, Paul Young, Peter Cox (Go West), Brendan B Brown (Wheatus), Bruce Foxton (The Jam), among many many more. Lisa is also available for freelance writing - please email lisa@essentiallypop.com

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