“Hello. Bonjour. Konnichiwa. Hola! Hallo. We are Hold The Fight”. Hold The Fight welcome you to their party on their new EP “With A Breath & A Hope”. Hold The Fight are an acoustic-core trio from the South Coast of England. Since forming in July 2010 they have had the pleasure of sharing stages all over the country with some awesome bands including ACODA, The James Cleaver Quintet, This Town Needs Guns. They offer a unique style of pop-punk that has a refreshing edge that sets Hold The Fight apart from the field.
Hold The Fight are fundamentally a pop-punk band, yet the unconventional way that lead vocalist Laurie Cottingham puts his acoustic guitar through an old Marshall head, free of effects and tricks initiates a broader outlook on the genre. This coupled with the poetic vocal delivery and structural arrangements throughout ‘With A Breath & A Hope’ help to create a rather unique sound.
‘How Many Times Man, I’m Not Cesar’ is a ferocious pop-punk assault on the senses with soaring vocal highs and a melody that floats over the listener. The guitar is raw, and gives this EP the sound of under-production, one that gives it that extra grittiness and likeability.
‘Eleanor Roosevelt’ is more of the same, but with some very nice acoustic vocal breakdowns where the strength of Cottingham’s vocal range is clearly evident. It will have college goers all over the country going crazy, and thoughts of this band live allow for epic sing-alongs and long remembered nights.
‘Who’s Game For Another One Line Adventure’ exudes a higher rate of energy and has some nice guitar parts. It sounds professional and it is easy to imagine this band succeeding on the Vans Warped Tour.
‘We Will Sink Your Battleship’ starts with an epic pop-punk duet, but quickly goes into a much heavier breakdown. It is the best song on the EP by far. It has a nice mix and variety of pace and timing, and it offers something out of the ordinary for an EP of this genre.
‘Face It Kid, You Can’t Build A Bridge Out Of Algebra’ has the best vocal part of the whole EP. Cottingham’s infectious punky vibe is replaced by a much more hardcore offering, and maybe shows the possible direction of this band. The beauty of this track is that the juxtaposition between the two sounds is very nicely balanced between periods of rung out guitar.
Eastbourne is being very firmly put on the pop-punk radar. The sunshine coast of England has something to party about, and Hold The Fight promises that everyone is invited. HTF have produced a mature EP, which exudes professionalism and panache. This 3 piece mean business.
DAVE BULL