Friday night I made my way to Redbourn Club to see these two bands, Hollow Doors and the Digby Street Band. I hadn’t seen or hear of the bands before so wasn’t sure what to expect.

Upon my arrival to the venue I soon realised that this was going to be a very good night before it had even started. If you have ever been to Redbourn Club you will know the main room at the venue is quite large. The room was already busy early on as the two bands had managed to fill the venue and sell the gig out; 350 gig goers to be precise.

With such a large audience both bands were eager to get the night underway.
Although Hollow Doors had a program of their own material both bands decided to do two spots each of covers.

The Digby Street Band started the night off with a Stevie Wonder number then followed on with hits from Amy Winehouse, The Lumineers and Tom Jones to name a few of the eleven numbers in the set. Vocals were shared between the lead singer Kasha Willey and the lead guitarist Scott Ballard. They really fired the crowd up for the night ahead.

The response from the audience was just what I had anticipated. Those that were not on the dancefloor were giving loud vocal support of cheers and whistles from their seats.

Into this vibrant atmosphere stepped the band Hollow Doors for their opening set.
This foursome are all excellent musicians, Connor Haggerty is an excellent front man ably backed by the other three members especially drummer Callum Frost and bassist Corey Lockwood.

All four were showing their capabilities on various numbers from The Who, The Police and of course the tried and tested Johnny B Goode.
Their set fuelled the atmosphere and the audience. With a packed dance floor, those that weren’t dancing, were singing along from there seats. I would say at this point that I think Hollow Doors had the bigger following.

After a short break The Digby Street Band took to the stage, the second number of their set was “Walking on Sunshine” the dance floor was full and it remained that way until the end of the show. The band treated the audience to numbers from Cee lo Green, Pharrell Williams and Bruno Mars to name a few.
The atmosphere in the club was amazing and the crowd were ready and eagerly anticipating the final set.

Hollow Doors did not let the audience down, with songs like America, Seven Nation Army and the Ace of Spades. They kept the dance floor full and energetic! There was even a ring of people around the front of stage just stood swaying and waving to the music.

Hollow Doors thanked The Digby Street Band for their contribution to the night, further endorsing this when at the end of the night they brought them back on stage to join in an encore.

Summing the night up, there was 350 people of all different ages, who enjoyed a fun night with great music and friends.
In my opinion Hollow Doors are the stronger favourite but for anyone that follows local bands, I would highly recommend seeing these two bands.
https://www.facebook.com/HollowDoors/

Review courtesy of William Hazon

THE DIGBY STREET BAND MEMBERS
KASHA WILLEY….. LEAD VOCALS
SCOTT BALLARD….. LEAD GUITAR / VOCALS
MARK BAKER….. LEAD GUITAR / VOCALS
ANDY WHITEHOUSE….. DRUMS
CHRIS BAKER….. BASS

HOLLOW DOORS MEMBERS
CONNOR HAGGARTY….. RHYTHM GUITAR / LEAD VOCALS
JOSH FOLLOWS….. LEAD GUITAR / VOCALS
COREY LOCKWOOD….. BASS / VOCALS
CALLUM FROST….. DRUMS / VOCALS

Hollow Doors:

Like most artists we all started out along the DIY ROUTE with the ultimate goal of creating, writing, playing, performing our own original music material and then successfully take it way out there…
Finding an audience that want to listen to a full night of new songs is difficult…
There only used to be two or three ways to be a musician but now there are a thousand ways, with everyone having a different strategy to make it work.
A mass of platforms and media have completely altered and changed the entire music industry. Kids can upload their own stuff and become overnight sensations. Record labels don’t tend to do their rounds in pubs / clubs and underground scenes anymore, in search of the next big thing. It’s all product managers and digital marketing reps etc.
Breaking through in music is no easy or simple task and with the diversity of approaches artists also have more competition than ever.
Social media, streaming and online music platforms have been a key focus for artists looking to build their following and reach out to the masses. The problem today is all these outlets have become absolutely saturated. Music and bands appear to have come full circle again. Getting exposure and maintaining attention is once again back to working hard, playing the covers, entertaining, slogging it out at local clubs and performing live, selling tickets and perfecting our craft that way.
Luckily for all of us, that’s exactly what we love doing the most & we hope that will reflect and shine out into the crowd tonight.