HAILED as a bunch of wild gypsy troubadours with a touch of magic about them, Holy Moly and The Crackers hail from the North East and have a loyal, devoted and ever-increasing fan base.

The band have built themselves an enviable reputation, pulling packed houses for their ferocious, visceral live shows, and they're now out on their biggest headline tour to date, to promote their gutsy new album Salem.

Over recent years Holy Moly & The Crackers have produced a moonshine mix of genres, creating their own unique and compelling sound, influenced by an electric and eclectic range of folk and popular music. But Salem, which they unleashed this year, is a departure. It’s folk only insofar as the songs are built around a narrative – they have a driving, urgent beat about them.

The band has hardly drawn breath over the last two years – furiously touring and developing their live show, yet all the while creating new material.

Over the last two years they have toured the UK extensively, and made impressive debuts in France, Germany, Italy, Holland.

Their festival appearances include Glastonbury, Bestival and Boomtown.

They appear at The Railway in Winchester on Wednesday.

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