Heart in Hand (band)

Heart in Hand were an English rock band from Bournemouth and Southampton,^[1] formed in 2008. Their musical style was a melodic blend of hardcore punk and heavy metal influences,^[2] described as both melodic hardcore^[2][3][4] and metalcore.^[5][6] The band's final lineup consisted of vocalist Charlie Holmes, guitarists Ed Hartwell and Ollie Wilson, bassist Gavin Thane and drummer Sam Brennan. Their first release was the Heart in Hand EP in 2009, followed by 3 studio albums, including their last record, A Beautiful White, released in November 2014. They have over 100,000 fans on Facebook^[1] and had released 5 music videos, with a combined view count of nearly 3 million, before 2014.^[2] They supported the 2013 release of their second studio album, Almost There, by touring with bands such as Bury Tomorrow, Deez Nuts, Miss May I, Stray from the Path and Texas in July, and had also appeared at numerous British festivals, including Download, Slam Dunk, 2000 Trees, Ghostfest and Redfest, as well as on the main stages of European festivals such as Rock for People in the Czech Republic or Resurrection Fest in Spain, and as headliners at a number of smaller festivals.^[2] They disbanded in February 2015.^[7]

History

Formation, Heart in Hand EP and Only Memories (2008–2012)

The band was formed by vocalist Charles "Charlie" Holmes, shortly after he left death metal band Trigger the Bloodshed in August 2008. He recruited two friends, guitarist Carl Martin and drummer Nick Kendall (both of whom have since left the band), who in turn got their workmates, guitarists Edward "Ed" Hartwell and Ollie Wilson, to join Heart in Hand, with Martin subsequently switching from being a guitarist to being a bassist. On 1 January 2009 they self-released their first record, the Heart in Hand EP, produced by Stu McKay (formerly of Eternal Lord). This was followed by their debut studio album, Only Memories, released through Siege of Amida Records on 23 May 2011, but not before Nick Kendall left the band in autumn 2010, midway through the writing process, for personal reasons and was replaced by Duncan Andrews from Bristol. Only Memories was praised as a "clever, highly-accomplished and refined hardcore record"^[8] by Tom Aylott of Rock Sound. Several guest vocalists appear on the album, including Ian Fike of It Prevails (with whom the band has toured prior to its release)^[2] on the song "Ghosts", and music videos have since been released for the title track, "Only Memories" as well as "Tunnels" and "Threefifteen".^[9] Andrews was dropped shortly after the album's release, and was replaced by Samuel "Sam" Brennan, the founding drummer of metalcore band The Eyes of a Traitor, whom Heart in Hand had toured with, after they went on hiatus in late 2011; bassist Carl Martin has also since left the band and was replaced by Gavin Thane.

Charlie Holmes performing in 2013

Almost There, A Beautiful White and dissolution (2013–2015)

Heart in Hand's second studio album, Almost There, was released through Siege of Amida Records on 11 February 2013, featuring James Leatherbarrow of Death of an Artist on the song "Cuts and Bruises", Mikey Chapman and Sam Douglas of Mallory Knox on "Maybe" and Dani Winter-Bates of Bury Tomorrow on "Broken Lights". Music videos were released for "Life Goes On" and "Almost There",^[9] and the band supported the album's release by continuously touring with bands such as Bury Tomorrow, Deez Nuts, Miss May I, Stray from the Path and Texas in July across a total of 19 European countries, appearing at a number of festivals, including Rock for People in the Czech Republic and Resurrection Fest in Spain.^[2] Nik Young of Metal Hammer praised Almost There, saying: "Thanks to beautiful, melodic passages, euphoric songwriting, passionate vocals and crafty, bittersweet twists, Almost There is an exciting reminder that [Heart in Hand] play by no one’s rules but their own. Seeped in rage, frustration and hope, the album is well constructed and, thanks to producer Pedro Teixeira, it hits a perfect balance between the raw and the polished."^[4]

A Beautiful White is the band's last studio album, produced by Will Putney in New Jersey^[2] and released on 3 November 2014 in the United Kingdom and 4 November in the United States through Century Media Records, with a music video released for the title track, "A Beautiful White".^[10] The band described the album as having "more diversity than [their] previous releases" as they "tried different things musically as well as vocally"^[11] and Rob Sayce of Rock Sound reviewed it favorably, saying that "[with] sky-high tempos, delicate interludes and the odd moment of spine-tingling poignancy, [A Beautiful White] is more ambitious than your average melodic hardcore fare and all the better for it",^[3] while Nicholas Senior of New Noise Magazine said that "taking a step back and really evaluating [their] sound... allowed the band to fire on (almost) all cylinders".^[6] Heart in Hand also set out on a European tour with The Amity Affliction, Buried in Verona and Napoleon to support the album's release.^[2] On 12 November English rap metal band Hacktivist released a music video for their new single, "Deceive and Defy", featuring Charlie Holmes as a guest vocalist.

On 13 February 2015, Heart in Hand announced on their official Facebook page that they have disbanded, cancelling their upcoming European tour, which was scheduled for March and April. They didn't provide a reason for the dissolution, but the post stated: "Trust is a hugely important part of any band and when it is tested it is difficult to come back from without causing further damage." They also wrote: "We will be toying about with music outside of this band in due time, but for now, this is the end for Heart In Hand."^[7] As of May 2015, Holmes had been accused of "sexual misconduct with minors", with the other members of the band providing no comment except that he had been "completely silent to all of [them] since way before [they] split".^[12] Guitarist Ollie Wilson had also shared new music they had made.^[12]

Members

Timeline

References

External links

• Heart in Hand on Facebook
• Heart in Hand on Tumblr