We have a 1:1 with one of Wales’ most exciting rock bands who just love tearing it up in Wrexham.
Holy
Coves
We sat down for a frank and personal conversation with Scott Marsden, now 43, who is the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Welsh rock band Holy Coves, who reflected on his lifelong musical journey.
“My family was born in Wales, Cornwall, and the North East of England. Anglesey, Newquay & Durham. So, I'm Welsh & English, but I think of myself as Celtic.”
Scott turned professional at 20, with The Lizzies, then spending a decade collaborating with renowned Welsh mixing engineer David Wrench, who Scott tells us is one of the best in the business.
This period was crucial for mastering songwriting, production, and understanding the mechanics of major label teams before The Lizzies evolved into the Holy Coves. However, a significant turning point occurred aged 30 with the tragic death of his best friend and Holy Coves manager, Stjohn.
The
Journey
This personal loss left Scott struggling to move on. Heeding earlier advice from John Robb of Louder Than War to "learn to manage yourself," Scott realised the necessity of understanding the industry even when working with a team. So, Scott learned social media, marketing, management, live bookings, gig promotions, tour management, and setting up a record label.
During his 30’s Scott’s struggle with addiction was reflected in his writing and music. Ultimately, the drive to return to form with the album Druids and Bards fuelled a commitment to recovery and self-education. This journey transformed him from a solely creative artist into a self-sufficient professional band capable of navigating the industry independently while continuing their artistic evolution.
The band Holy Coves chose their name to ensure unique searchability and reflect their roots on Holy Island, in Anglesey. Inspired by a Cockney slang term where "coves" means criminals or geezers, they connected it with "Holy" to capture the irony of their hometown's beauty versus its darker undercurrents. This duality mirrored local folklore about Welsh Witches, Gypsies, Druids and Bards, which frontman Scott later traced back to real historical events, and his family history, grounding the band's identity in both myth and reality.
Family
Connections
Born in Bangor, Scott shared the opening track "Falling Down" on Holy Coves' upcoming album Hiraeth. It addresses a profound family tragedy: the drowning of frontman Scott’s uncle, Tony, in Cyprus as a child. Pulled out to sea on a dinghy by a riptide, Tony's body was never recovered, an event that instilled a deep, unexplained fear of the sea in Scott while growing up on Holy Island.
This song explores how that single loss rippled through generations, contributing to trauma and grief within the family. Unlike the previous album, Druids and Bars, which focused on Scott’s personal struggles, Hiraeth expands the narrative to encompass this broader family history. By confronting the tragedy directly, Scott went to great efforts to understand the root of his lifelong anxiety and used this work to honour his family and his uncle, whose memory is preserved through his middle name, Anthony, which is also his son’s middle name, also in respect of his Uncle Tony.
Scott also shared that his grandmother's grandad was a Welsh bard who won a chair at the Eisteddfod. His name was William Richard Roberts, bardic name Gwilym Dona. Read more about William below.
The Next
Chapter:
Hiraeth
Scott’s brutal openness, and ability to deal with loss is reflected in the writings of his music today. He opened up further by saying;
“It's just freed me up to have the balls to say things as they are. Some of the songs I was too frightened to even record years ago, but I knew they were great songs. I knew they were my best songs, and as soon as I let go of that, those songs on Druids and Bards album have been able to connect with people. I just make the music I've got it in my head; I make it how I want it to be and understanding that I'm a storyteller. That's what I am. I'm a bard myself.
Hiraeth is the next part, the next chapter. It's told on Anglesey with the visuals of when you go to Newborough Beach, Llanddwyn Beach, & Ynys Llanddwyn. You've got the mountain silhouette, the peninsula, the beach. This is what Hiraeth means to me and inspired our album cover.”
Snowdonia
Records
To be successful, Scott recognised the band needed to become fully independent. So, they formed an official label, called Snowdonia Records. Scott shared with us their formula to making great music;
“We all went away and made a proper album, and we grafted our asses off. We locked ourselves in a room. It wasn't as simple as we just went into the studio and made the record. We all took some time out from it all and away from the noise, the social media stuff. And we know that we have to switch that off every now and again. We are a band that's here to make records. We're not here to mess about. And we feel like we're in a league of our own with that to be honest.”
Scott records with fellow band members, his brothers Jay Demarco (Drums) and Yan Shi (Bass) and supported by their production team John Lawrence (Gorky's Zygotic Mynci), Owain Ginsberg (WeAreAnimal/Hippies vs Ghosts?), & Erik Wofford (The Black Angels /Black Pumas).
It was a privilege to spend time talking openly with Scott and get to know the real motivation behind his energy, drive, and understand the true meaning behind the music and the performances that they bring.
See Holy Coves perform for yourself, when they headline WrexFest on 14th August in Wrexham, and when it’s also their formal album launch show.
