Devil's Gate Music
Related Articles
Formed in 2019, Cornish Celtic folk punk rockers, All for Jolly, hail from the rugged coastal town of Penzance, Cornwall, UK. Their explosive sophomore self-titled album is set to be released on Friday 4th April. The fiery five-piece will also drop their absorbing new single and video, New Era, out everywhere on Friday 31st January. Get the lowdown on All for Jolly, below:
Q. What are the origins of the band, how long have you been playing together?
A. Hiya, Sammantha here (vocals, mandolin, and manager of All For Jolly). The band started in 2019, as an acoustic 3 piece consisting of me, my brother Jae (who is still in the band), and my ex-partner (who left the band last year). One of my friends was having a pirate-themed birthday party and wanted a pirate band to play. An hour later JollyRoger was born (that was our old band name) and a week later we performed our first gig at the party and even had a handful of original songs written and ready to gig. We enjoyed it, as did the people watching (we think haha), so we quit our other jobs there and then committed to building a career in music. We have always had the attitude of just doing it and if we don’t know how to do something then just give it a go anyway and figure it out.
Q. What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe All for Jolly?
A. When you check us out you should expect; high energy folk punk music with aspects of humor and heart. Our band stands out because we could fit comfortably on many line ups, our influences and sound in general are particular; it is hard to put your finger on it, but we bring something fresh and exciting (we think it’s the influence of our Cornish roots). Every track on our new album could be listened to in a different playlist, yet it still fits so well together and is so distinctively us. From a folk festival, metal festival, or rock festival. Bloodstock to Download to Glastonbury. There is a space for everyone in our fan base – reflected in our motto ‘All For Jolly & Jolly For All’. We love our upbeat and party-like songs but have always had a place for delicate songs too. We have songs about loss, mental health, and hardships, and through all the emotions expressed throughout our catalog, it can be a rollercoaster of a ride in the best possible way. We love Celtic Folk Punk music and we want to introduce the world to our Cornish take on it.
Q.How did you feel performing your first gig as a band, and how was it?!
A. Obviously very nerve-racking and considering it was only a week after we started, very thrown together haha. But we were instantly hooked and had never felt so empowered and vulnerable at the same time like that before. Our first gig as a full 5-piece band felt incredible, as we had hundreds of gigs under our belts by that point. Nerves were replaced with confidence and excitement and we just got up on stage, did our thing, and enjoyed every second of it.
Q.What are you working on at the minute that people can check out?
A. We have just finished recording our second album which is coming out very soon on the 4th of April and we can’t wait for everyone to hear it. We also have a music video for the first single of the album New Era, coming out on the 31st of January. We are always on the road and gigging as we are a live band at heart. We have our biggest tour yet planned for the UK and Europe this year and you can find tickets and info on our website www.allforjolly.com. We will also be launching our Patreon page soon which will feature exclusive merch, behind-the-scenes footage, music lessons, live streams, and much more. We hope this will help us to keep on funding our DIY music journey.
Q. Regarding a similar audience, which band at the minute do you feel that All for Jolly would be best suited to open for?
A. There are a few bands that we would love to support, these include; Dropkick Murphys, Royal Republic, Flogging Molly (please book us for your cruise), and The Struts to name a few.
Q. Excluding yourself, which new band would you like to see break out and become a success?
A. We are all about community, collaboration, and celebrating the success of our fellow musician friends, and hope they all get the success that they are working hard for. We would like to give a special mention to our friend James Spencer though, who is supporting us on our upcoming tour. If you like storytelling songs and folk-infused Country Rock, check him out! He is very talented and just an all-round lovely person too.
Q. What frustrates you about the music business?
A. We still find it to not be as gender balanced as it should be; I run events and open mics for underrepresented gender performers through another of my projects Lady of the Sea Events. So we’d definitely like to see more opportunities for artists featuring underrepresented gender performers and more of those names on the festival lineups! Also at the DIY level, it can be hard to financially sustain our career, especially due to the cost of living crisis and after the pandemic, it seems to get worse with lots of grassroots venues closing down. It’s important to support your local music venues and bands, buy merch, and buy those tickets in advance. Our fanbase have been amazing at supporting us and we are so grateful for their support with our second album Kickstarter last year, thank you all!
Q. What are your first musical memories? And what lightbulb moment made you say “I want to do that”?
A. Me and my brother Jae, who’s also in All For Jolly, went to see Green Day play when we were younger and were so inspired by the music and energy on stage. They were so engaging and interactive with each other and the audience and it was amazing to be in a room full of people coming together to enjoy music. The energy was great. Me and Jae, we’ve always shared the same music taste, enjoyed going to live music shows together, have played music together at family weddings and jammed at home. It is such a privilege to be able to share a stage with him.
Q. What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
A. Me and Jae have been going to Download Festival together every year since 2014 and also make sure to book it off from our gig calendar, last year our guitarist Steve came with us too. We love heavy music and from the start, playing Download has been a bucket list All For Jolly show. Hopefully one day we shall stand on stage there and shout ‘Scream for me Download’.
Q. What current social issues are you particularly passionate about?
A. As previously mentioned, we are passionate about gender equality and equal opportunities in the music industry. We also speak openly about our mental health issues and self-care and advocate for people to reach out for support when they need it.
Q. The album that you have in your album collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
A. We have a huge variety of albums that we play in our band van, ranging from classical music to hip-hop to pop to heavy metal. We especially love a good old nostalgic sing-a-long to our favourite pop punk band Good Charlotte.
Q. Everybody is a fan of something, who or what are you a fan of?
A. We are fans of self-work, supporting each other, being respectful, and encouraging others to follow their dreams.
Q. What new music have you been enjoying recently?
A. Of course, we have been enjoying listening to the final mixes of our upcoming album, All For Jolly. We are so excited to share our new music with the world. After a tough start to the year last year with two members leaving, it has been such a refreshing re-birth for us as a band and we have more drive and passion than ever! It’s also January and we have been super busy prepping for our upcoming tours and releases but we can’t wait to discover even more new artists this year!
Q. What does 2025 hold for you?
A. A New Era! A new album, a UK and European tour, and many UK and European festival appearances too. Also, lots of lovely surprises too. Get in touch if you’d like to work with us! Oh, I have also written a short book talking about the stories behind each song off the upcoming album and I hope to release that this year too.
Q. How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
A. I manage our social media accounts and use them daily so feel free to connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube, you will also be able to find us on Patreon soon! We also have an active community group on Facebook which you are welcome to join, it’s a really friendly group and we also post teasers and other behind-the-scenes bits and bobs on there too.
x All For Jolly & Jolly For All x
Photo Credit – Onyx Images
