Little over three years ago Graham Walsh and Brian Borcherdt started Holy Fuck, a chaotic live celebration of lo-fi noise and weirdo casio-driven rock.  With a rotating rhythm section consisting of some close friends and multi-talented players they were described as "Toronto's evil super group".

Without rehearsing or arranging parts prior to hitting the stage, Holy Fuck wrote the songs from their album, LP, live on tour.  Each time they'd return from tour they'd check into a studio and cathartically capture the energy of the live show, recording the songs that had now taken shape.  The only problem was they had too much material.  A couple of unfortunate computer hard drive crashes later a good chunk of the material was lost.  Maybe this was a good thing as it brought to light recording sessions that would have been otherwise overlooked, like the live satellite radio recording on Verge XM, or “Super Inuit”, taken from a live recording made while on tour with !!!.

Drawing from different recording sessions, even with different members, the new album maintains a unique feel from song to song.  While the material was recorded for the most part in a studio environment, Holy Fuck recorded it live, as if on stage.  Therefore the songs still breathe a live frenetic energy.   The final sheen of the studio feel may come largely from the mixing hands of both Eli Janney (Girls Against Boys) and Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene).

Holy Fuck’s well known live show has become a force to be reckoned with. One of their first shows was at Pop Montreal where New York based MC, and ex-Antipop Consortium member, Beans was so impressed with their unique take on 'electronic' music that he invited them to Coachella as his backing band. 

Now only a few years later they have become a heavy hitting live act, with a devoted audience consisting of cultish fans and new comers drawn by their reputation.  They've toured with Do Make Say Think, !!!, Clinic, Wolf Parade, Cornelius, Metric, and Mouse on Mars. They’ve also made appearances at world renowned festivals like Vegoose, All Tomorrow's Parties, Montreal Jazz, SXSW, and CMJ.

Their reputation as a must–see live act gained them a slot on this year's John Peel stage at Glastonbury.  This performance ended up being hailed as one of the top three performances of Glastonbury by NME. 

Holy Fuck Quotes:


“…We joined the entranced crowd and and swiftly got lost in Holy Fuck¹s otherworldly backdrop video and all of the previously unseen worlds of multi-layered psychedelic mayhem it was revealing. Combine that with the Holy Fuck foursome¹s pummeling funk bass, rollicking drum-kit and fire-hazard-like tables of wires and effects, and you were looking at two instantly catapulted heads full of rhythm and psych. “ Eye Magazine


“Call them purveyors of unintelligent dance music - the laptop-free Holy Fuck soundsystem couldn't care less. They'll keep tweakin', twistin' and punching their effects pedals, turntables, film synchronizer, bass and drums in an engrossing improv dubwise style.” Now Magazine


“This Canadian mega-group ply an interesting trade of organic electronica where they shun all usage of laptops, pre-programmed backing tracks in favour of Real Instruments with Real Soul creating experimental improvised songs where not even they know what will happen.” Drowned in Sound


“Holy Fuck shows are frantic, exuberant realizations of time and place, extemporaneous music-making sessions more open to the possibilities of improvisation than most American acts toting a jamtag” Independent Weekly


“You will have the contours of your brain worn down by shards of liquid magma noise and you will embrace every second with the grin of a baby that has just discovered its feet at the end of its legs.” New-Noise.net UK


“The sound ranges from Nintendo-ish blips and beeps to space-age-y static and more typical electronic fare: huge freakout breakbeats anchored by swiveling bass guitar. What’s surprising about Holy Fuck is the band’s range of registers. Though most of the set is upbeat, faux-trad indie-dance music, a few pieces thrown in at the end hit melancholy notes, with Walsh’s yearning melodica sliding in and out of a sober five-note backriff. The set ends with a reverb-heavy, sun-is-rising/new-day-is-born meditation on life. It’s something that could have been copped from Sigur Ros—it’s that earnest and genuine.” PopMatters


“Holy Fuck blasted out opulent streams of saturated melody, clouds of glitter and confetti, nitrous-boosted dance dynamics…Holy Fuck set the bar awfully high.” Pitchfork Media