The Holy Soul

Biography

The Holy Soul is Trent Marden (guitar and vocals), Sam Worrad (bass), Jon Hunter (guitar) and Kate Wilson (drums).

They have been described as "one of Sydney's most interesting and versatile rock bands...(that) has also carved out a niche as local collaborators of choice for international musical mavericks and misfits".

The band's first demo (featuring Tim Malfroy on guitar and Owen Penglis on drums) was recorded in January 2003, and the song "Jesus Caught The 5.19" appeared on the Playing Favourites compilation, put together by Rusty Hopkinson.

Their first EP Love Has Left The City Limits (2004) is a collection of cassette recordings made in Malfroy's Apiary Shed in Freeman's Reach. The debut album Sign of The Triangle (2005) was recorded in the same location and was engineered by Jon Hunter, who replaced Malfroy in late 2005, on 1/2 inch 8-track.

In 2006, The Holy Soul toured in Europe to promote the release, and in doing so played a number of dates with Mudhoney. Upon returning home, the band recorded a version of Rowland S. Howard's song "I Burnt Your Clothes" for a tribute album on French label Stagger Records.

In 2009 the band released the album Damn You, Ra, the first to feature Jon Hunter on guitar and Kate Wilson on drums. The album was recorded in Hunter’s Magnetic Recording Council studio in industrial Western Sydney over the course of 2008.

The Holy Soul also toured Asia for the first time in 2009, playing in Malaysia and Taiwan alongside The Stabs, White, Carsick Cars, Mick Turner, Ghost and Tricky.

The Holy Soul occasionally perform as part of the Damo Suzuki Network. A live LP with Suzuki called Dead Man Has No 2nd Chance was released in November 2010. It features Peter Newman on electronics and Dan Luscombe on keys.

Pere Ubu singer David Thomas fronted the band for a one-off performance in Sydney in early 2010, and selected recordings from the evening were released as the album David Thomas and The Holy Soul on Thomas' label hearpen.com

The Holy Soul released a retrospective, SUPERKANGS, on Beast Records in 2011, and promoted the LP with their second European tour. The LP includes two new recordings, "There Is A Place" and "One More Ride". The tour included a performance with Suzuki in Berlin.

In July 2012, Suzuki and The Holy Soul performed at Repressed Records' 10th birthday show.

The band are also referenced in the Youth Group song "Someone Else's Dream" from the Skeleton Jar album re-release: Let's all go to The Holy Soul/in that soulless hole, where the restless people go.

Discography