The Holloways: Down with the kids

The Holloways, a perky indie four-piece that formed late in 2004 at the Nambucca bar in north London, are not short of ideas. Their October debut, So This is Great Britain?, may have received a mixed bag of reviews (the NME were fervent; The Independent less so) but no one could doubt its thematic ambition. Yes, there was the traditional indie fare about pulling girls in the dark corners of clubs, but the album also displayed a more cerebral vein - that of a Britain going to the tabloid dogs, and of the power of music to pull us out. Bryn Fowler and Dave Danger's bass and drums formed a ska-infused bedrock, while Alfie Jackson and Rob Skipper's guitars and vocals drilled home the message with some charm. The result is an album that is not perfect, but plausible - and, in places, thrilling.

So, from the boys who brought you So This is Great Britain?, another idea: gigs for teenagers. Granted, it's not a new idea - bands in America have been playing "all ages" shows for years, and the trend has just started to catch on in the UK - but it is a good one, and born out of the best possible motives. Last time the band were in Sheffield to play the Leadmills sweatbox, dozens of their teenage fans were left outside, because their licensing arrangements did not allow for under-18s. The band solved the problem by playing their gig for the grown-ups inside, and then a gig on the top of their van for the kids who had waited an hour-and-a-half longer than they should have done. The Holloways promised that the next time they were in Sheffield, they would repay their young fans' patience.

"It's stupid that kids start bands when they're 13 or 14, but they can't see a band they like until they're 18," says Skipper, as the band set up for their 4pm matinée. "We all went to see bands when we were that age. That's when you become interested in music." As if to prove Skipper's point, outside the club, in the bright March sunlight, hundreds of Sheffield teenagers are queuing an hour before the show.

Jackson adds: "If they're not going to gigs, what are 16- and 17-year-olds going to be doing anyway? They're hardly going to be sitting at home with their parents. But in a sense, we shouldn't even need to do this - how hard can it be to give under-18s a wristband so they can't go to the bar, and give over-18s one so they can? It's just not that hard."

It may not be hard, but venues all over the country, chary of losing their alcohol licences, and aware that adults generate a lot more revenue behind the bar, are becoming increasingly tight on ID. The result is fewer teenagers at fewer shows. This, of course, is bad news for bands. Teenagers are the lifeblood of indie. They may not be the punters handing over cash for albums, but they are the ones messaging their friends on MySpace, and starting the word-of-mouth that supports all burgeoning rock outfits.

"I think that the younger fans are the ones who do most of the illegal downloading," says Fowler. "But, if they like what they hear, they also tend to be the ones who go out and buy the single. And if a lot of them buy the single, then the single turns up on radio, and then people go out and buy the album. That seems to be how it works."

The Holloways have always enjoyed a ferocious live following, and their current tour has seen them play sell-outs at (albeit medium-sized) venues up and down the country. They have, in the words of one of their fans, "taken the roof off" gigs in Aberdeen, Portsmouth and Middlesbrough. But, for some reason, their loyal fan base has not hoisted them into the top sales or radio airplay. The Holloways have had two top 40 singles - the endlessly catchy "Generator" and "Two Left Feet" - and their album has also enjoyed middling success. But while the lack of serious recognition bothers the band, it certainly has not made them glum.

"There are a lot of possible reasons, by Radio 1 or whoever, not to put us on the air, but it's all out of our hands," says Jackson. "These are not decisions we're able to make. It's obvious to me, though, that the people who come to our shows really love the songs. You can see it in their faces at the gigs. That's really all that matters."

Fowler is more bullish. "As long as the kids keep on turning up to the shows, we're happy," he says. "Eventually the people [at the radio stations] who make the decisions are going to have no choice. We can't play a 2,000 sell-out one night, and then not be on the radio the next. That's going to make someone look stupid, because our fans want to hear the songs."

For now, though, such considerations must wait. The Holloways have 200 members of Sheffield's screaming youth to attend to, and when the band emerge on to the stage, it is clear they do not view this gig as a pale substitute. Indeed, despite Jackson's severe case of Jack Daniel's throat, the band deliver a punchy set - made all the more enjoyable by the enthusiasm of the audience. This is anything but a children's matinée, and the band seem to be lifted by their young supporters' adulation.

'Dancefloor' is out now on TVT Records

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