Too Much Fun
Honeyblood’s homecoming is a promising affair
It’s funny what we put ourselves through in order to pull ourselves into shape, to get stronger. Grueling gym sessions, early morning push and sit ups, evening jogs and even the odd boak inducing protein shake are all undertaken in the name of presenting a fitter, more dynamic version of the person we see in the mirror. However, 90% of the time such exertions usually leave us feeling like crap as soon as we’re finished. It’s not till much later that we notice the effects of such hard work. So it’s no surprise to find the Honeyblood girls feeling groggy and languishing slightly as they reach the home leg of their first proper tour.
The band take to the stage looking slightly weary, caused, unsurprisingly, by their hard work and “hard fun” on tour; something that is merely insinuated by guitarist Stina Tweeddale and then swiftly confirmed by drummer Shona McVicar-“we’ve perhaps had too much fun”, she muses. The weight of such fatigue places itself squarely on the shoulders of their opening number, most obvious in Tweeddale’s voice, which is being treated by the most rock and roll of remedies, whiskey. However, this is simply the “hair of the dog”, as the band soon starts to flex their muscles on the second track of the evening, the superb “Kissing On You”, B-side to their recent single “Bud”. Suddenly, all misconceptions are dropped and it becomes clear what has really happened to the girls, Honeyblood are stronger.
With the sluggish lethargy of their opening thrown off, what quickly becomes apparent is the confidence that the band now exudes: Tweeddale’s vocals have never sounded more blistering, whilst McVicar’s drums exert more dominance and presence than ever before. Gone is the sense of a band finding their feet (McVicar only rejoined the outfit eight months ago) and what remains is a band that are now standing upright and stamping out their intentions.
Of the tracks played this evening, the best reception is given to the more familiar songs, all of which seem to have a new lease of life. Tonight, “Super Rat” has an air of authority surrounding it, whilst “Bud” is beautifully augmented by McVicar’s backing vocals. However, the set dips slightly in the middle, as the duo turn to older tracks that perhaps haven’t seen the light of day since long before this tour and lack the same dynamic buzz (or fuzz) as the previous material. However, Tweeddale is quick to point out that these tracks probably won’t make the cut when they head to the States to record their debut with Peter Katiss in the coming weeks. She follows this by introducing two new songs and it is with these songs that Honeyblood begin to raise the bar. Both tracks are dirtier and noisier, whilst retaining the same pop sensibilities and vocal hooks that resonate within their sound.
These new beasts close the set and as the final chord burns away it is clear that this recent tour has left Honeyblood in fine shape; their music more muscular and with a little more bite than before. At the same time, the new material holds great promise, without deviating too far from their crunch pop ideals. Yes, overall, Honeyblood are in fine shape and one thing is for sure… when they return from America, they will be unstoppable.
