“Mulholland’s music is very accessible in terms of jazz, and has a raw energy that
refrains from being too free and wild, while maintaining a tantalising youthful energy”
- Varsity Cambridge
ABOUT
Mulholland Jive is the brainchild of Irish musician
Ben Mulholland, a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Cambridge, UK.
Performing as a 9-piece band, a rotating roster of superhuman musicians are used to bring Mulholland Jive’s lively instrumental funk-jazz-rock to life.
Mulholland Jive has performed at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Ely Arts Festival and Strawberry Fair, headlined the John Peel Centre and the Portland Arms, performed at the NMG Awards and been played on radio stations across the globe, including
BBC Introducing, Banks Radio Australia and San Francisco's KXSFfm to name a few.
Mulholland Jive was nominated for ‘Track of the Year’ at the NMG Awards (Levitate) and has reached the semi-finals of the UK Songwriting Contest on multiple occasions (Levitate, Adrenaline Junkie and the live version of Empire).
Mulholland Jive has released 4 EPs, including a live EP. Their most recent EP, Thunderfunk, was released in July 2024. Rotate Magazine wrote that Thunderfunk "continues to solidify Mulholland Jive's position as a rising force in the funk-jazz-rock genre".
EP 1: Intergalactic
Mulholland Jive's debut EP was released in April 2021 and contains the singles Adrenaline Junkie, Kryptonite and Levitate. Levitate was nominated for Track Of The Year at the 2021 NMG Awards, finishing in the top 5. Levitate and Adrenaline Junkie were semi-finalists in the UK Songwriting Contest 2021, with both tracks scoring full marks from the judges.
EP 2: Supernova
Released in February 2022, all tracks from Mulholland Jive's second EP were featured in multiple playlists and radio shows. Bad Moon Rising and Metamorphosis both charted on the Banks Radio Australia's Daily Top 10 Chart, reaching numbers 2 and 3 respectively. Power Up was included in the New Music Generator's 'Best Of 2022 So Far' list in July 2022.
Single: Electric Graffiti
Released in October 2022, this standalone single leans heavily on Mulholland Jive's jazz influences. It reached number 1 on the Banks Radio Australia's Daily Top 10 and spent 11 weeks in the Cool Top 20 chart, peaking at number 7.
EP 3: Live at North Acre
Released in March 2023, this EP was recorded entirely live at North Acre Recording Studio the previous summer and perfectly showcases the Mulholland Jive live sound. Videos for each track were recorded simultaneously (see the 'Watch' section!). Levitate (live) was played on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, who described it as, "a stunning piece of music".
EP 4: Thunderfunk
Thunderfunk was released in July 2024 to critical acclaim. Beast Mode was played on BBC Introducing who described it as "incredible". Beast Mode also made it into Fresh On The Net's 'Fresh Faves' and it was Cambridge 105's 'One To Watch'. We Write About Music described the EP as "a captivating and endlessly energetic experience" while Rotate Magazine wrote that Thunderfunk "continues to solidify Mulholland Jive's position as a rising force in the funk-jazz-rock genre".