Johnny Jewel – The Sugar Club – 15/10/23

If you’re looking for a night of moody synth music, then look no further than Johnny Jewel at the Sugar Club later this month.

Johnny Jewel (Chromatics, Desire, Glass Candy) released Holly (OST) on Oct 13th, the soundtrack for the new film directed by Fien Troch. As a film composer, Jewel is also known for his previous work with Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn on the films Bronson and Drive. In 2017, he appeared on screen in David Lynch’s iconic Twin Peaks, for which he also contributed to the musical score alongside the great Angelo Badalamenti.

You can find details of the gig on the Sugar Club website here. Tickets are €22.50 plus booking fees.

Johnny Jewel (Chromatics, Desire, Glass Candy) has created the original motion picture soundtrack for the highly anticipated Fien Troch-directed new film Holly, which will come out October 13th via Italians Do It Better. The score also features Desire and is Johnny Jewel’s tenth solo album of experimental film music, following on from critically acclaimed works Windswept, Digital Rain, Home (OST), & Lost River (OST). Today the first single from the Holly soundtrack “The Witch” is streaming online. As well as this, Johnny Jewel is set to embark on a special live tour throughout Europe in October and November, performing 60 minutes of cinematic bliss from his music for films.

Nominated for the Venice Film Festival and opening the Ghent Film Festival, Holly follows the story of a 15-year-old girl who calls her school to say she is staying home for the day. Soon after, a fire breaks out at the school, killing several students. With everyone touched by the tragedy, the community comes together, trying to heal. Anna, a teacher, intrigued by Holly and her strange premonition, invites her to join the volunteering group she runs. Holly’s presence seems to bring peace of mind, warmth, and hope to those she encounters. But soon, people begin to seek out Holly and her cathartic energy, demanding more and more from the young girl.

On the soundtrack, Johnny Jewel said “I used music to usher in the unseen elements of Holly’s story. Underscoring the supernatural overtones of the film, I studied the wind in her hair, counted the plumes of smoke billowing from the burning high school, & stared into the howling forest swaying in the distance. The looming musical foreshadowing mirrors her gifts. As Holly’s character slowly unravels, the score begins to warp as it’s stretched to an ominously slow crawl.