HOT INDIE POP FOR THE MASSES!
THE LEGEND OF HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE - by Ste
ORIGINS
I arrived at Westminster College in Oxford on my 19th birthday with big plans to start a band and maybe get a degree in Theology. To spoil the ending of the story, I got a 2:1 in my degree and First Class Honours with Distinction in the band.
After a few failed attempts at getting something going with musicians from message boards in town, I realised that I needed to do this with someone a shy boy fizzing with songs felt comfortable exploding around. So, I got some basic electro-tech and roped my good friend Damien into getting a set together for the college Battle of the Bands. We had a couple of very scrappy practices in Damien's room before Martin barged in one night wanting to know what was going on and then announcing he wanted to join. Damien played that first gig (Westminster College JCR, Saturday 11th March 1995), but then kissed the rock-'n'-roll life goodbye. There followed a period of flux in the line-up, but before long Emma joined and we knew that was it. Holy Roman Empire was me, Martin and Emma and that was carved in stone forever....
(Pictured above: Martin & Ste closest to the camera, Emma & Simon furthest. Damien is the tallest one in the middle. Behind everyone is HH House where the first practices took place. Thanks to Matt McDade for the photo)
THE DEMO (1996)
LEFTWINGER
In 1996 we recorded a bunch of songs with Mike Turner at TOG Studios near Benson, with the aim of putting together a demo tape to get gigs around Oxfordshire. This was the opening track on the tape and the first booking we got off the back of it was at The Rock Garden in London!
'Leftwinger' is also the only song that I have ever written drunk. I woke up one Saturday morning to find it programmed on the computer and the lyrics helpfully written down. Actually, I can't be absolutely sure that somebody else didn't break in through the night and do all that!
EVEN IN MY SLEEP
This was a song I wrote while still at college and was recorded for that first demo. It was written around the time I had a thing about going into town, flicking through CDs I would never buy, to read song titles and see if they could inspire one of my own.
'Even in My Sleep' was included on 'Ten Trucking Greats'; a compilation CD of artists who played the first ever Truck Festival in Steventon in 1998.
One of the first gigs in Oxford that we got off the back of that demo tape was at the Elm Tree on Cowley Road in January 1997. That night we met Mark Sargeant and he became our manager. It's fair to say that a whole lot of what followed was thanks to Mark's hard work and endless string of bonkers ideas.
THE GLITTERKISSED EP (1998)
MY LIFE FOR YOURS
After years of tentatively trying, this was the first time I played one of my songs to somebody outside of my head (Martin & Damien) and they seemed to genuinely like it. That happened at college before the legendary Battle of the Bands, but I should explain that Martin, Emma and I lived together for most of the time we were a band and that allowed me to measure the catchyness of a song by noticing if either of them sang it while washing up or enthused about it after a few cheeky drinks. If they didn't refer to a new song in the week after I'd played it to them, it didn't mean it was rubbish but it did mean it was not astonishing! It was a good system that served us well.
So 'ML4Y' survived the very first gig, a version of it was on the first demo and it was the opening song on the 'Glitterkissed EP'. It was rarely left off a setlist and was most often played as the set closer.
BENAZIR BHUTTO
It became a source of some annoyance to me that I wrote this song very soon after we had finished that demo, so it went unrecorded for too long. I actually wrote it one Monday morning on the way to work after reading about Benazir Bhutto the day before. Politically she was a bit like Pakistan's Tony Blair, but what struck me was her determination to keep going in the face of tragic obstacles.
'Benazir Bhutto' first appeared on the self-released 'Glitterkissed EP' in 1998, but was released on 7" single by Luscious Peach Records the following year. It's the only pop video we ever made.
ATOM BOMBS
I wanted this to be one of those songs we could play on Top of the Pops sat on stools, then we'd stand up for the second verse and everyone would cheer as if they'd never seen anybody stand up before!
The song was written and programmed late one night as I sat with Airwolf on the telly in the corner of the room and so the file was labelled and always remained 'Airwolf'. It's still one of the few things I can play on the piano with both hands!
Track 3 on the 'Glitterkissed EP'.
SHOTGUN!
The closing track on the 'Glitterkissed EP' and it's all about the exclamation mark!
These songs were recorded by Richard Walker at Hall Studios in Bicester - a place we returned to a few months later to record....
THE CHRISTMAS SINGLE (1998)
HOLY WATER BABY
In the Autumn of 1998 I bumped into Tim Healey of Luscious Peach Records in town one Saturday morning and he asked if HRE would be interested in writing and recording a Christmas song for a 7" single that would feature another Oxford band's new Christmas song on the other side. I told him I'd have to check with Martin and Emma, but it definitely appealed to me. As soon as we had parted my heart sank. I don't have a Christmas song and if I rush one it will be rubbish!! I got on the bus home and I swear that by the time it had got to the end of the first road I had the main chorus in my head. It was gonna be okay.
Things moved pretty quickly after that. The other band pulled out, so Luscious Peach were going to release a CD single of just us. Our manager, Mark, said he could get some kids to sing on the song so I had to think of something for them to do, but that just fell into place as well.
We played a launch gig with the kids at the Oxford United club house before a game, then the teams ran out onto the pitch and Oxford suffered their biggest home defeat in its long and glittering history (Oxford Utd 1, Birmingham City 7). We had played at the Manor ground many times over the years, but were never invited back again after that. A few years later the whole site was demolished and bulldozed into the ground. Yeah, alright - we got the message!
Steven Wells writing in the NME said:
"This is very, very, very good in a deeply amateur and rubbish way and would have made a much better New Year Number One than Westlife."
THICK AS THIEVES
Included on the Christmas CD this is something a bit different for Holy Roman Empire; a bouncy acoustic song with Martin and Emma on joint lead vocals. They were both an integral part of the band so I think it's great that we have at least one song where they step up to the front.
I should say at this point that as well as bringing those powerful, soaring harmonies to the grand table of anthems, Emma was also responsible for most of our artwork including the cover designs for both the 'Glitterkissed EP' and 'Holy Water Baby'.
THE LAST SINGLE (2001)
DANTE'S INFERNO
The three songs on our last single were recorded with Rich Aitken at his home studio. It was a brilliant experience because it was the first time we had been in the studio and sat down to talk at length about what we were trying to do. Rich's flat was also a cool place to hang out. We went round once and Julia from Dolly was there. I loved Dolly! We had arrived at the top table!
The song 'Dante's Inferno' was unlike anything we had done before as it didn't have the big punchy chorus, but it did have a whole heap of drama. Tim at Luscious Peach loved this song and really wanted to release the single, but had already flushed so much money down the HRE toilet it couldn't be justified.
I BLEED PETROL (CATCH ME IF YOU CAN)
This was originally quite punky, but with the cleaner sound that Rich gave us, it came out more like a jaunty surf song. It was inspired by the fuel protests of 2000 and how they were leapt on by rightwing groups and parties who were using the issue to try and bring down the Labour government. Whatever else Tony Blair may have done, he did ensure public services were funded properly, so this song is imagining what would happen if the protesters got what they wanted. The matter was all tangled up with climate change and fox hunting as well. There's a lot crammed into this little song.
NO TOMORROW
We had no idea while making it that this would be our last single, so it's quite spooky that the parting shot at the end of our final release was a song about saying goodbye. Like 'I Bleed Petrol', this was originally a bit more dirty, but the cleaner guitar sound really exposes the synths and makes it sound a bit Human League. Maybe that's a road we'd have gone down had we carried on, but who knows!
There was talk of coming back to make a full album with Rich, but sadly the band split up before it happened. Years later Rich told me that not making an HRE album was one of the great regrets of his career. Aw, it was probably our greatest regret too but we will always have these songs...
Martin
How did you come to join Holy Roman Empire?
I walked in on Ste in a student room wearing swimming goggles and thrashing a guitar and thought it strange to be in a room where I am not the weirdest person. I also saw the opportunity of making my own voice louder with a cranked up microphone!
What's the most Holy Roman Empire thing that ever happened?
Playing a gig in Bristol, where the promoters advised that the guitar mustn’t be plugged in and Ste had lost his voice, meaning I had to lead sing. 2 issues... the music is reliant on the guitar and the lead singer knowing the lyrics!
MARK SARGEANT (MANAGER)
What are the most Holy Roman Empire things that ever happened?
Sitting right at the top of the many, many, many memories of the Holy Roman Empire years, some of the ones that deserve honourable mentions, in no particular order, are these:
Headlining The Radiohead 'Your Song' special at the Point, the night before Radiohead's homecoming/only UK date of the year at South Park.
Martin doing unspeakable things with his mic when supporting Twister – after Matt, Twister's frontman had , in soundcheck, poked the same mic down the front of his trousers.
The first Truck Fest afternoon mainstage slot.
Martin being Martin at Riverside Festival in Charlbury, continually chucking his cymbal stand off the stage during that gig.
Countless Snakebite City nights in Aldershot, London and Oxford. The London dates invariably had London indie scenster Jim Sidetail in the audience specifically to see HRE (NME noted you know you're at the best gig in town if the man with the tail is there!).
A seriously surreal show in a bar in Bristol.
The one off 'Give it some 'Stic' acoustic show performed with Ste, Emma and Martin all wearing Pjs, slippers and dressing gowns.
The 'Theres A Madman On The Roof' compilation launch in Brixton The only time Ste didn't insist (politely) on using his own guitar amp as it was Fruitbat (Carter USM, Abdoujaparov) who was lending his amp.
Ste was happy to share. Jimbob (Carter USM, Jim's Super Stereo World) remarked after experiencing HRE for the first time ever "They're mad. Totally bonkers. I love 'em!"
Martin introducing the late John Peel after JP said he wasn't going to introduce HRE who opened John Peel's Sound of The Suburbs TV series launch show at the original Kooler club venue, in Oxford United's Manor ground, Manor Club. HRE opened the show, with Beaker as main support and Samurai Seven headlining).
Pre-match Xmas single gig in Oxford United Supporters club following the Oxford United mix of the Xmas single being launched (sales of which went to the then cash-strapped OUFC staff wages fund) Incidentally the match that followed was Oxford United's record home defeat – 1-7 until a few seasons ago!)
And who can forget Ste being elected virtual Oxford music scene Prime Minister in a poll hosted by Oxford music magazine Nightshift!
Colin Greenwood walking in to an HRE gig at the Point as they launched into their punked up take of Street Spirit, at the end end of the gig Colin enquired have they recorded that? Adding that they should do, "they kill it more than we do!…."
The aforementioned just touch on some of the many memorable HRE moments. However the most memorable of them all, for me, would have to be the 'comeback', ' Empire Strikes Back', sold out headline show in the backroom at The Bully (The Bullingdon) on Cowley Road....
Actual date of the show is a bit hazy, but if memory serves- and it might not!- it was arranged after a layoff from playing live shows for 3, 4 maybe more(?) months.. The run in to the show began some 5 weeks prior, A3 sized fly posters with the HRE bomb logo and the date were produced and subsequently distributed on to the official fly posting sites and unofficial ones too. A week later the words “The Empire Strikes Back” were added to the fly poster, which was again distributed as was the way at the time. The subsequent week, with approximately a fortnight to go until the show the venue name appeared on the fly poster, - which appeared 'everywhere' in Oxford. It was a rarity at the time (with a handful of notable exceptions) for few, if any advance ticket sales to be registered for local bands and acts playing Oxford. Yet for this particular one, advance ticket sales were better than healthy. Another fly poster run a few days before the show kept the word more or less literally on the street – okay, on the walls of the streets to be precise. On the night the venue is filling up steadily from doors opening, as the evening progresses some of Oxford music scene A-listers are among the ever growing soon to reach capacity crowd. Support bands (two of them, whose names elude me), do their slots, the return of Holy Roman Empire live on stage is fast approaching. Theme from Star Wars blasts through the speakers, strobes
flash, smoke pours from the in-house machine, stoking up the already expectant now sold-out backroom at The Bully. Intro music fades, lights go low, through the clearing smoke three silhouettes materialise on stage. As the opening beats of No Tomorrow blast forth , Ste semi-Townshend style goes to crank a few chords out on his guitar.... except, his amp isn't switched on! ... The crowd roar and erupt in approval,... as Ste reaches backwards to rectify and rescue the situation, while Martin shouts the 'Houston ,We have a problem!' line from the opening number through the mic. Less than a 15 second delay, a quick reset of the Dat machine, and it's all systems go. Resulting in arguably Holy Roman Empire's finest 'hometown' show ever, with the vast majority of the audience, including air punching Oxford music scene royalty, joining in, spontaneously on HRE anthems such as My Life For Yours and Even In My Sleep. Awesome show, and typically HRE chaos at the start of their set adding to the legend and legacy of Oxford's favourite lo-fi DIY disco punk popsters.
Sadly there are no photos of Mark with Holy Roman Empire, but here's one of me and him when we met up for a few pints at the Bullingdon in February 2018.
Nightshift
Holy Roman Empire's first gig at the Elm Tree in January 1997 was hugely significant not just because it was the night we met Mark, but it was also the first time Ronan from Oxford's Nightshift magazine saw us live. He published a review in the following month's edition declaring us "one of the best nights out you can get".
While there were often technical criticisms of Holy Roman Empire in their reviews, we genuinely never felt anything but the warm glow of love from Nightshift. And that continued through until our last live review in the July 2001 edition which put it like this: "However many column inches we've devoted to them over the last few years, it's quite impossible to capture the full glory of the Empire on paper - they really must be seen to be believed."
TRUCK FESTIVAL
Robin and Joe Bennett were both still at school in 1998, but were quickly making a name for themselves around Oxford with their ace alt-country band Whispering Bob. We had already played a few gigs with the Bob by the time they asked if we would like to perform at a little festival they were planning in their hometown of Steventon. We get to play our songs loudly off the back of a truck and spend a day mucking about in the countryside? What could we say? Yes!
I don't know what big dreams Robin and Joe had back then, but we had no idea we were making history. HRE's fanzine 'Shotgun!' captured the scene like this:
"What is it with local festivals? While the majority of UK fests have suffered with bad weather, it seems that Oxfordshire really is God's own country. Oxstock was sun-drenched, as was Truck '98. This was the one where a small boy - hello David - decided it would be fun to steal Martin's cymbal. Perhaps Martin shouldn't have thrown the whole set up off stage - or should that be truck? For that's what it was. Holy Roman Empire's set was entertaining, though 'Leftwinger' didn't get an airing. While Em and Martin sloped off early, Ste was there for the duration. Make-up smeared and speech slurred - as it should be!"
Emma's future husband Simon caught the day on camera. Earlier in the summer Simon had bravely stepped up to get on stage with us at Oxstock festival as Martin was on holiday. I don't think I fully appreciated it at the time, but that must have taken some nerve. Thanks Simon!
'Shotgun!' was there to capture the drama of Oxstock. It was an unusual gig, but we got by with a little help from our friends.....
