The Holy Parachute

The Holy Parachute started as a group of very close friends playing music together in April 2005, playing covers of our favourite songs, and generally just having fun. We started to make our own songs that were similar to the bands that we were all listening to at the time. However as time passed each individual member became influenced by different genres of music, allowing songs to develop into a unique style of our own, which is a hybridity of unrelated genres. Our influences range from rock, ska, indie, punk, swing, reggae, Latin American, metal, jazz, blues and anything else that we enjoy listening to at the time. This effectively means that we attract the most diverse of audiences as we have qualities, which any individual will enjoy.
We began to play small local gigs and parties in early October when we felt confident enough to play to an audience. These venues began to become larger and soon enough we had a long list of dates, which we were booked to play at. We have played venues in a range of areas such as Oldham, (Jackson’s Pit and The Castle) Manchester, (Bier Keller, retro bar, music box, Academy 2), and Bury (Hark To Towler). We are currently seeking to gain gigs in a wider variety of areas to try and reach to a larger audience. We love to play live shows and put all of our energy into doing so. Furthermore the upbeat nature of our music is usually enjoyed thoroughly by the audience and can be easily danced to.
The band is made of 5 members each taking an as important role as the next. Michael Pollitt plays bass and lead vocals, Mark Ashton plays guitar, Phil Walsh plays Trumpet and backing vocals, David Thompson plays trombone and backing vocals, and Richard Purcell plays drums. Both David Thompson and Phil Walsh are actively involved in brass bands and jazz groups, however The Holy Parachute is their first priority. The writing process of The Holy Parachute’s songs usually involves all members, as riffs and chord progressions are explored. Michael Pollitt often writes lyrics and the main foundations of songs, while ideas are explored, and finally the brass melodic lines are composed by Phil Walsh.
Each member of the band has additional attributes, which are often used in the promotion of the band. Mark Ashton is very talented at creating digital images, often seen as our promotional fliers and WebPages. Richard Purcell is a respected artist and has sold paintings to local galleries.
The Holy Parachute has recently recorded their first EP, which will hopefully be released by late autumn.