Live Burning, Burning Live

In April 2022 The Holy Family played the legendary Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands and enthralled a packed room. Now, two years on we are extremely happy to be able to share with you the live recording of this memorable event.

For those who are unfamiliar with The Holy Family – they are a collective of five musicians who conjure a sound that exhibits an affinity with great experimental totems down the ages, in a manner that is avowedly forward-facing and stamped with their own unique identity. All involved boast a pre Holy Family CV to turn clued-in heads: frontman and brainchild behind the project David J. Smith (vocals, percussion), Kavus Torabi (guitar, harmonium), Sam Warren (bass, backing vocals), Joe Lazarus (drums), and on this recording Craig Fortnam, of North Sea Radio Orchestra fame (piano and wem copicats), who was recruited to grace Emmett Elvin’s piano throne in his absence.

The band performed tracks from their debut self-titled double album (released on Rocket Recordings in July 2021) at this show. Re-arranging and expanding on the studio recordings, weaving the pagan, kosmiche folk vibes with heavier, darker, acid-fried motorik grooves, all set to the otherworldy psychedelia of Mike Bourne’s (Teeth Of The Sea) commissioned live visuals film.

David J. Smith said “We were over the moon to be performing at Roadburn in 2022 and couldn’t wait to bring The Holy Family’s psych dream logic to Tilburg. We have so much respect for this wondrous,creative, tour de force of a festival.”

As you can hear in these live recordings, The Holy Family’s musical inspirations are multitudinous, and rarely if ever obvious, but if you dig anything from Can to Boredoms to Oneida to Guapo then, step this way.