London is Calling Semi Hollow to the Stage

Written by Ava Filan
Photographed by Ava Filan and Kaamya Krishnan

In the winter of 2024, Sami Bates officially started her band, Semi Hollow. Bates writes both the lyrics and music for each and every one of her songs, as well as performing as the lead singer and occasionally pulling out an acoustic guitar on stage. 

Some members of her band fluctuate, but Armant L’Heureux has been a constant collaborator of hers throughout various track production and mixing. Slowly but surely, Bates started playing shows in Brooklyn and East Village the following spring, and last May she released her first EP. 

Bates spent the past summer in New York working on her music and other creative projects. In June, she filmed a music video for her track titled “I Fucked It Up,” which illustrates a story about temptation within a stable relationship. Sami stars as the protagonist, with the opening shot of her boyfriend and her at a bar with some friends. In the corner of her eye, she spots a guy playing pool, and the narrative progresses to show the unfolding of an uneasy situation. The film is raunchy, light-hearted, and funny. Bates's intense acting experience shines through, and the viewer can't help but feel connected to the character she is portraying.

The work of Semi Hollow has special significance to myself. I met Sami in line for a politics class at the Cantor Film Center on University Place. After she asked if this was the right queue, it only took a couple more questions and answers to figure out that we had lived fifteen minutes away from each other our whole lives: our hometowns were within Los Angeles, and our current lives brought us both to Manhattan. As we became closer over the next year, I saw her go from writing music in Brittany Hall, recording random ideas and chords on voice memos, to having band practice at Rivington Music in the Lower East Side. Now, I am at nearly every show of hers.

Before Bates had committed to study abroad, manager of local Camden pub, The Elephant’s Head, found her on Instagram, inviting  her to play if she was ever in London. Luckily enough, she'd be there in a few months. The Elephant’s Head is a classic English bar, with a green and black marble exterior and warm lights, wooden floors, and green-legged bar stools inside. Once Bates committed to NYU London, performing in the U.K. became a reality. 

Without her crew from New York, I could only assume how stressful it was to find new bandmates, create an onstage flow and chemistry, and test out a new venue, all while adjusting to her modern drama and film courses. Would the crowd of this local bar like the angsty, indie pop style that Bates offers? Could they appreciate her compelling and prose-like lyrics that describe what it feels like to exist as a girl in New York? As it turns out, heartbreaks and drama are universal sentiments.

While taking pictures during the set, I observed the sea of people crowded in front of her: locals and NYU students huddled together, jamming out, at a random bar in Camden. From old men to teenages, every single kind of person was there. Bates explained, “It was kitschy and fun and a classic pub show. It was just to have a good time and bring people inspired by music together to see a performance and get ideas.” I was happy to see her shine in a place so new and foreign. Taking photos is my favorite thing to do, but with her specifically, I love capturing her in her most natural state, and have been doing so for each show I have been to. The sound was impeccable, and her voice was killer.

Right now, Bates is making the most of her time studying abroad, traveling and exploring new places every chance she gets. However, she is also working on some new music, finalizing for another music video, and doing a couple casual shoots with me while experiencing London. Who knows what we are going to see next from this emerging artist? All that's confirmed is that her first album will be recorded this winter in Los Angeles. More tunes will be released soon and more jamming out to be had this year.