Band of Holy Joy

A rough-and-tumble British band with a melodic folk-punk sound, Band of Holy Joy emerged out of London in the mid-80s, delivering songs steeped in the grit and grime of London street life while maintaining a defiant and often optimistic call-to-arms tone. Led by frontman Johny Brown, they earned critical acclaim with 1989's Manic, Magic, Majestic on Rough Trade, but ultimately fell apart a couple of years after the label's 1991 demise. Almost a decade later, Brown re-formed the band and they worked sporadically throughout the 2000s, then enjoyed a particularly fruitful and cre...