American blue collar rockers The Hold Steady have spoken about their British audience.
Mixing hardcore punk with a deeply American sensibility, The Hold Steady have become one of the most significant groups of their generation. A series of acclaimed albums have pushed songwriter Craig Finn into the limelight, his with furiously intelligent rants being compared to writers such as John Steinbeck.
With the band’s new album ‘Heaven Is Whenever’ gaining sterling plaudits The Hold Steady have paused to reflect on their popularity in the UK. With such a deeply American attitude, the group have somehow translated to thousands of British fans.
“The biggest headlining club show we’ve ever done was in London” Craig Finn told Pitchfork. “That was like 3,000 people at the Roundhouse. I mean, it’s comparable. We never went there before ‘Boys And Girls In America’, and it just seems like it’s caught up really quickly.”
“Proportionally, if you look at the numbers, we’re selling maybe a third of the total record sales in England. Maybe a quarter. So, that’s pretty big.”
Continuing, the singer reflected on the eternal appeal of American groups in the UK. “There’s somewhat of a real fascination with American bands and American mythology in London, so I think we’ve tapped into some of that. Maybe because of the way the press works or whatever, they have extremely knowledgeable music fans over there.”
“People who will sit there and talk to you about some record that came out in 1967 out of Memphis that you’ve never heard before.”
Meanwhile, The Hold Steady have confirmed an appearance at this summer’s Glastonbury festival alongside a handful of headline shows.
The Hold Steady will play the following dates:
June
12 Newport Isle Of Wight
22 London HMV Forum
26 Manchester Academy
27 Glastonbury Festival
