Review by Nathan Hetherington
London’s Electrowerkz is the setting for Honne’s second ever live show and at 5 minutes to 9 o’clock 150 or so eager bodies squeeze themselves into the venue from the curious bunting-laden warehouse feel of the bar. The band shortly follow in and politely push their way through to the stage, where once up you’re able to fully appreciate Andy and James’ black, and slightly darker black, turtleneck jumpers.
Instead of cautiously taking the often-underwhelming laptop, guitar and mic option, Honne have already surrounded themselves with a sublime group of musicians, who translate each meticulously crafted track from the studio to the stage in a wholly satisfying way. For an electronic duo with just a handful of tracks online it’s hard to know exactly what to expect but just from the first 2 tracks leading into “Warm On A Cold Night” they let you know that they completely have this down. They’ve put in the necessary time and thought and won’t be putting a foot wrong in front of an audience. From this point on the room can relax and fully immerse themselves in the sensual sounds.
Second single “The Night” receives the best response from the crowd and sits half way through a consistently smooth 10 song set of late night R&B vibes. Future-hits weren’t in short supply either and instantly agreeable tracks like “Top To Toe” give us a taste of what we’ve yet to hear. They close on a triumphant note with “All In The Value” where Andy & James both don guitars and let loose a flare of unexpectedly flawless skills, presumably honed during their previous indie project together. There’s no support act, no encore and not too much chat. Just a few words about turtleneck jumpers and a quick bit of crowd interaction from Andy, which could have only served as a rehearsal for when they’re playing to far larger audiences. It wont be long before they make that leap and this felt like a statement to let us know that they’re fully prepared for what’s to come.
Reviewed by b3
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