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Holy Fuck is a Canadian
electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...
band from
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
. They were a part of Dependent Music, a music label and artist collective that began in
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Yarmouth is a port town located on the Bay of Fundy in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. Yarmouth is the shire town of Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Yarmouth County and is the largest population centre in the region. History Originally inhab ...
in 2004 until its closing. They were then a part of the
Young Turks The Young Turks (, also ''Genç Türkler'') formed as a constitutionalist broad opposition-movement in the late Ottoman Empire against the absolutist régime of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (). The most powerful organization of the movement, ...
label and in 2016 they signed with
Innovative Leisure Innovative Leisure is a Los Angeles-based record label founded in 2010 by Nate Nelson, Jamie Strong, and Hanni El Khatib. Its genre-spanning roster is anchored by artists including BadBadNotGood, Classixx, De Lux, Hanni El Khatib, Nick Waterhouse ...
. The band uses live instrumentation and miscellaneous instruments and non-instruments (including a 35 mm film synchronizer, toy keyboards and toy phaser guns) to achieve electronic-sounding effects without the use of laptops or programmed backing tracks. According to
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...
, "The band was formed with the intent of creating the equivalent of modern electronic music without actually using the techniques— looping, splicing, programming and the like—of that music."


History

Since their formation in 2004, Holy Fuck have performed at
Coachella Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...
(supporting Brooklyn rapper
Beans A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are tradition ...
who recruited the band to serve as his backing unit), the
CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...
Music Marathon, the
Halifax Pop Explosion The Halifax Pop Explosion (HPX) was a music festival and conference that occurred every fall, typically two weeks after Thanksgiving, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The term "Halifax Pop Explosion" also came to be adopted in the 1990s as the n ...
, POP Montreal, the Montreal Jazz Festival,
All Tomorrow's Parties "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by the Velvet Underground and Nico, written by Lou Reed and released as the band's debut single in 1966. The song is from their 1967 debut studio album, ''The Velvet Underground & Nico''. Inspiration for the so ...
, Vegoose,
Evolve Festival Evolve Festival is an annual multi-genre music and cultural festival in New Brunswick. The festival is dedicated to the promotion of sustainable living and environmental awareness. It uses renewable energy sources, recycled, and biodegradable p ...
,
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
,
Osheaga Festival The Osheaga Music and Arts Festival () is a multi-day music festival in Montreal, Quebec, that is held every summer at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène. The festival takes place on six stages with various audience capacities. Translated ...
, Rifflandia Music Festival, and the
SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
music festival in
Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
in 2006, 2007 and 2008. In the summer of 2007, Holy Fuck performed at the
Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...
, the largest music festival in the world, where they were named the No. 3 top new act at the festival by ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' magazine. They performed at
Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...
in 2008, replacing
Noah and the Whale Noah and the Whale were a British indie rock and folk band from Twickenham, formed in 2006 and dissolved in 2015. The band's last line-up consisted of Charlie Fink (Singing, vocals, guitar), Tom Hobden (violin/Keyboard instrument, keyboards), M ...
, and returned to headline the
London Ontario Live Arts Festival The London Ontario Live Arts Festival also known as LOLA Fest, was an arts festival which took place in downtown London, Ontario, Canada, in the third week of September, from 2006 to 2010. It began as a one-day street festival in 2006 and expanded ...
. Their music can also be frequently heard in the 4th and 5th seasons of the Canadian comedy television series '' Kenny vs. Spenny''. On August 30, 2009, Holy Fuck played the Virgin Mobile FreeFest dance stage at
Merriweather Post Pavilion Merriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue located in the planned community of Columbia, Maryland. In 2010, Merriweather was named the second best amphitheater in the United States by ''Billboard'' magazine. The venue was also ranke ...
, Columbia, Maryland. Before Holy Fuck, Borcherdt was a member of the band By Divine Right, Burnt Black and Cafe' Selectronique with Doug Barron (Hal Harbour) and Phollop Willing PA. Their debut album, '' Holy Fuck'', recorded with Laurence Currie and Dave Newfeld (
Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band and musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew (vocals, guitar) and Brendan Canning (vocals, bass) in 1999. Alongside Drew and Canning, the ...
,
Apostle of Hustle Apostle of Hustle was a Canadian indie rock group, formed as a side project in 2001 by Andrew Whiteman, who has also been in Bourbon Tabernacle Choir and Que Vida. He currently plays as the lead guitarist for the indie supergroup Broken Socia ...
), was named one of the ''
Montreal Mirror ''Montreal Mirror'' or just ''Mirror'' was a free English language alternative newsweekly based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada which was distributed every Thursday. It had a circulation of 70,000 and reached a quarter of a million readers per week. ...
'''s top ten albums of 2005. Holy Fuck have toured the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
with
Wolf Parade Wolf Parade is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2003 in Montreal. The band released three full-length albums before taking a five-year hiatus in 2011. They announced their return in 2016, releasing a self-titled EP in May of that year, and ...
,
Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff in 1993. For the duration of their professional career, the band consisted of Gruff Rhys (lead vocals, guitar), Huw Bunford (lead guitar, vocals), Guto Pryce (bass guitar), Cian C ...
, Enon, !!!,
Mouse on Mars Mouse on Mars is a German electronic music duo formed in 1993 by Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma. Their music is a blend of electronic genres including IDM, dub, krautrock, breakbeat and ambient, featuring heavy use of organic analog synth and ...
, Cornelius, and
Do Make Say Think Do Make Say Think is a Canadian instrumental band formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1995. Their music combines jazz-style drumming, distorted guitars and wind instruments, and prominent bass guitar. Biography The band formed in 1995 as a recording ...
. They went on a European tour with
Buck 65 Richard Terfry (born March 4, 1972), better known by his stage name Buck 65, is a Canadian alternative hip hop rapper. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country ...
in early 2006. In January 2006, they were named one of ten finalists for the $3,000 Galaxie Rising Stars Award of the
CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...
, which is part of
Canadian Music Week The Departure Festival + Conference, formerly known as Canadian Music Week, is an industry conference and music festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.David Friend"Canadian Music Week buyers rename event Departure Festival, expand its scope" ...
's Indie Awards held in March. The band released their second album, entitled '' LP'', in 2007. The album was nominated for Alternative Album of the Year at the 2008
Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...
s, and was also shortlisted for the Canadian
Polaris Music Prize The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize. The prize was inc ...
. In 2008 Holy Fuck added a
remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
of "
Nude Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and no ...
" by
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
to Radiohead's remix website, where Internet users could vote for the best remix. Holy Fuck's remix had the top spot for a time. They also toured venues in North America with M.I.A. in 2007 and 2008. In 2008 former Enon drummer Matt Schulz joined the band during their live performances. In August 2008, the ''
Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as the Bytown ''Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the ''Ci ...
'' and others reported that the ruling federal
Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
had issued a talking points memo regarding the cancellation of the PromArt program, funding international promotional tours by Canadian artists. The memo justified the cancellation on the grounds that its recipients included, among other notables, "a rock band that uses an
expletive Expletive may refer to: * Expletive (linguistics), a word or phrase that is not needed to express the basic meaning of the sentence * Expletive pronoun, a pronoun used as subject or other verb argument that is meaningless but syntactically required ...
as part of its name", apparently referring to Holy Fuck. The band took offense at this suggestion. In an interview, the band said regarding their name: "It’s been pretty annoying, but it’s gotten us a lot of publicity, so we can’t complain about that." Brian Borcherdt took time away from the band to support his next solo album, ''Coyotes'', which was released on October 7, 2008. The track 'They're Going to Take My Thumbs" appears in the first episode of Season 2 of ''
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...
''. "Royal Gregory" was used in the 2008 video game '' Midnight Club: Los Angeles'' as well as in the official trailer for the game. The song "Lovely Allen" can be heard in a Dodge Chrysler Jeep commercial and in the Season 2 episode "eps2.1_k3rnel-pan1c.ksd" of the series ''
Mr. Robot ''Mr. Robot'' is an American drama thriller television series created by Sam Esmail for USA Network. It stars Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson, a cybersecurity engineer and hacker with social anxiety disorder, clinical depression, and dissoci ...
''. In 2009 Holy Fuck took part in an interactive documentary series called ''
City Sonic ''City Sonic'' is a documentary series about Toronto-based musicians and the places that influenced their music.http://radio3.cbc.ca/blogs/2009/8/Watch-This-City-Sonic-Film-Series The first five ''City Sonic'' films were previewed at Toronto's 2 ...
''. The series, which featured 20 Toronto artists, had Brian Borcherdt reflecting on his time at
Sneaky Dees Sneaky Dee's is a concert venue and Tex-Mex cuisine, Tex-Mex restaurant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally opened in 1987 on the north west corner of Bloor Street and Bathurst Street, Toronto, Bathurst, it moved to its present location at Co ...
. Holy Fuck's third full-length studio album, ''
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
'' was released May 11, 2010, through Young Turks and
XL Recordings XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been run and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group. It releases an average of six albums a year. T ...
. In the United States, the album reached No. 14 on the
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
Dance charts and No. 40 on the Heatseekers chart. The song "Latin America" was featured in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. The band were chosen by
Les Savy Fav Les Savy Fav ( ) is an American indie rock band based in New York City. Their style is influenced by art punk and post-hardcore. The group is known for the stage presence of lead singer Tim Harrington. The band is signed to Frenchkiss Record ...
to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas festival that they co-curated in December 2011 in Minehead, England. The band's fourth full-length studio album, ''Congrats'', was released on May 27, 2016 on Innovative Leisure and
Last Gang Records Last Gang Records is a record label formed by Canadian music industry lawyer Chris Taylor and concert promoter Donald K. Tarlton in the fall of 2003 at the Pop Montreal Music Festival. Last Gang was nominated as Independent Record Label of th ...
. Borcherdt & Walsh have also done production, writing and extra instrumentation on the album ''Siberia'' by Canadian singer Lights. Graham Walsh has produced and recorded albums for such Canadian bands as
METZ Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
, Alvvays,
Viet Cong The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in South Vietnam. It was formally organized as and led by the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, and ...
, Doomsquad,
Hannah Georgas Hannah Georgas (born 30 August 1983) is a Canadian pop/rock singer-songwriter, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. She was nominated in the categories of "Best New Artist of the Year" and "Songwriter of the Year" at the 2011 Juno Awards, and ...
, and
Operator Operator may refer to: Mathematics * A symbol indicating a mathematical operation * Logical operator or logical connective in mathematical logic * Operator (mathematics), mapping that acts on elements of a space to produce elements of another sp ...
s. The band's fifth album, ''Deleter'', was released on January 17, 2020, on Last Gang Records. The band released a video for the new single "Luxe" featuring
Hot Chip Hot Chip is an English synth-pop band formed in London in 2000. The group consists of multi-instrumentalists Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard (musician), Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Owen Clarke, and Felix Martin. They are occasionally joined by former memb ...
's
Alexis Taylor Alexis Taylor (born 20 April 1980) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, keyboardist, and guitarist of the band Hot Chip. He is also the keyboardist of the band About Group and has released solo ...
. In 2021, the band received some mainstream attention after their song "Tom Tom" was used in episode 2 of the Amazon Prime series '' Invincible'', based on the Image Comics series of the same name.


Band members


Current

* Brian Borcherdt – keyboards, effects *Graham Walsh – keyboards, effects *Matt "Punchy" McQuaid – bass * Matt Schulz – drums


Former

* Kevin Lynn – bass *Mike Bigelow – bass *Loel Campbell – drums *
Glenn Milchem Blue Rodeo is a Canadians, Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have released 16 full-length studio albums, four live recordings, one greatest hits album, and two video/DVDs, along with multiple solo albums, s ...
– drums *Brad Kilpatrick – drums


Discography


Albums


EPs and singles

* '' Holy Fuck EP'' CD and 7" vinyl (2007) * 12" split vinyl with Celebration (2007) * ''Lovely Allen'' 7" and 12" vinyl (2008) * 12" split vinyl with
Foals A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal is ...
(2008) * ''+ Ghost'' (2010) * ''Bird Brains'' (2017) * ''Luxe'' (2019) * ''Free Gloss'' (2019) * ''Deleters'' (2020)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Fuck Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups from Toronto XL Recordings artists Canadian electronic music groups Canadian math rock groups Livetronica music groups 2004 establishments in Ontario Young (record label) artists