British virtuoso blues-rock guitarist, former pro MMA fighter and hard rock frontman Kris Barras launches an exciting new musical collective that takes him back to his blues rock roots. Once the leading light of the young British blues-rock scene; is back with a new band Hollow Souls.
To celebrate, Kris is pleased to announce that Hollow Souls will embark on their first UK tour in Fall 2025. Planet Rock’s exclusive ticket pre-sale starts 10am on Thursday March 27th. Pre-sale tickets will be available here.
Tickets will then go on general sale at 10am on Monday March 31st here.
From humble beginnings in Torquay, Devon, to trading licks with the likes of Joe Bonamassa and Billy Gibbons on the world stage, Kris has already lived a hundred lives that defy his youth and exuberance.
Kris’ own project Kris Barras Band had a mammoth 2024. From selling out headline shows in British castles, headlining Planet Rockstock, and a Top #5 UK album with “Halo Effect”.
Known for the gravelly vocal tone and immense guitar playing that gifted him a rapid ascent in the British blues-rock world, it is no surprise that KBB’s music has evolved year-on-year.
KBB hit it off with acclaimed US hard rock songwriters and signed to Earache Records which set off a creative chain reaction that led to a darker, heavier, and more energetic sound. Whilst KBB is firmly intrenched in the world of heavy music, Kris is still a bluesman at heart. Whilst in-between albums with KBB, this creative lightning strike with his latest project Hollow Souls just happened to hit with something different.
Inspired by the US supergroup Supersonic Blues Machine in which he also performed and energised by the wealth of British talent around him, to create Hollow Souls, Kris put together a homegrown jam band to serve as a creative sparring exercise during his downtime.
Hollow Souls is a dream project for Kris. Together with long-term collaborator, multi-instrumentalist and producer Josiah J Manning, using Josiah’s Plymouth-based Momentum Studios as their base, a studio band consisting of drummer Joe Harris (Toby Lee / Lack of Afro) and bass player Leighton Allen (Callum Scott / The Hoosiers) became more than the sum of its parts.
When Kris invited in former KBB backing singer Phoebe Jane to jam, the floodgates of creativity truly opened. In writing for her dexterous range and astonishing power, Kris and Josiah knew they had found a singer with which their musical palette could continue to evolve; the spark that ignited a whole new band into existence with Hollow Souls.
Hollow Souls’ debut single “Borderline” highlights all this and more, as Kris invited Jared James Nichols, US blues-rock rising star, to feature on lead guitar remotely from across the pond. Kris said: “I have really admired Jared’s playing for some time. His contribution to this song is massive, we gave him creative license to play whatever he wanted. I am so stoked with the results”.
Recorded in one take at Momentum Studios (as showcased in the official “Borderline” music video here), and produced and mixed by Josiah J Manning, Hollow Souls set the tone that new music with further studio collaborators and perhaps even touring could well be in store. Like a one-two punch, Hollow Souls also come out the gates by announcing a twenty-date UK tour; a real statement of intent that demonstrates a clean sweep of the UK blues-rock circuit, where Kris champions some of the venues that allowed him to cut his teeth as an emerging talent.
“Borderline” is available to stream and download on all digital platforms from Friday March 28th on Hollow Souls’ own label imprint. Stream the new single here. Watch the official “Borderline” music video below.
UK Tour Dates 2025:
Oct 16 – Bedford, Esquires
Oct 17 – Chesterfield, Real Time Live
Oct 18 – London, Camden Underworld
Oct 19 – Stowmarket, John Peel Centre
Oct 22 – Shoreham, Ropetackle
Oct 23 – Cardiff, The Globe
Oct 24 – Leek, Foxlowe Arts
Oct 25 – Gloucester, Guildhall
Oct 26 – Norwich, Waterfront Studio
Oct 29 – Grimsby, Docks Academy
Oct 30 – Huddersfield, Parish
Oct 31 – Birmingham, Castle & Falcon
Nov 1 – Stockton, Georgian Theatre
Nov 2 – Carlisle, Old Fire Station
Nov 4 – Glasgow, Oran Mor
Nov 5 – Edinburgh, La Belle Angele
Nov 6 – York, Crescent
Nov 7 – Blackpool, Waterloo
Nov 8 – Southampton, Suburbia
Nov 9 – Tavistock, Wharf
Weblinks:
www.hollowsouls.co.uk
www.facebook.com/kbhollowsouls
