El Hula

Blair Jollands, the New Zealand-born singer-songwriter now living as an expatriate in London, England, conceived this project. Before leaving his homeland in the mid-90s he had performed with several Auckland groups and also appeared solo on the coffee-house circuit. Not long after completing his 1994 cassette debut, Jollands traveled from New Zealand hoping to secure a recording agreement in New York, only to settle instead in London, where he formed El Hula with guitarist Rhys Hughes. The debut album Hotel, cut with assorted session players, appeared in 2001 on Boy George’s More Protein imprint. Although its elegant lush pop made little impression on the UK charts, Jollands’ vocal mannerisms recalling Scott Walker and Jim Morrison drew notice from several critics. The follow-up Violent Love proved a tighter collection, spotlighting the contemporary classics ‘Bitter Girl’ and ‘Killer Landings’. At live shows Jollands was backed by a band that included Hughes, Noam Halby on drums, Andrew Park on bass, and vocalists Sarah Brown and Sandy Mill.