Concert Review

Black Honey Sounding Sweet in Heaven

Black Honey perform to a full house at Heaven Nightclub, London

Heaven, as in the London Nightclub, not the ethereal place where good people apparently go.  Black Honey closed out their latest tour with a sold-out show at London’s Heaven Nightclub.  Located somewhere in the bowels of Charing Cross Station, the cavernous venue has played host to many club nights and concerts since the late 1970’s.  The list of people that have played there reads like a who’s who of pop and rock royalty, including Madonna, Grace Jones, and Rita Ora, to name a few. 

It seems appropriate then, that Black Honey can now be added to that list. In lead singer Izzy B. Phillips you have the epitome of a strong, driven woman who sets out to make women feel invincible, alternating between pouring her heart out at the mic, and prowling the stage, exhorting women and anyone identifying as non-binary to come to the front at the start of “Fire”.  Such is the draw of Black Honey, it is no surprise that they have achieved the rare accolade of seeing not one, but two albums, hitting the mainstream charts – Their self-titled first album breaking in at No 33 and the latest release “Written and Directed by” peaking at No 7.  For an unsigned band to achieve this level of success is almost unheard of. 

Black Honey at Heaven. Credit Paul Dubbelman

The packed crowd were eager to see the band in action after the trials of the last year, and Black Honey did not disappoint.  From the moment they appeared through the gloom and launched into the pounding drums and fuzzy chords of “I Like the Way You Die”, Black Honey delivered an uncompromising performance, getting mosh pits breaking out throughout the venue.  In a 17-song set, packed with banging tunes from their two albums, the pace rarely dropped, with Baxter holding court at the microphone, imperious, in command, a queen surveying all before her. Corrine”, one of their earliest hits, was very well received by the crowd, as wereSummer ‘92and “I do It to Myself” but it was in the last few songs of the set where Baxter really connected with the crowd.  Laying down her guitar and coming down the stepped stage to the crowd, she called for women and non-binaries to come to the front, and talked about the need to create a safe space for women at rock shows.  “Fire” followed an anthem to strong-minded independent women everywhere.  They closed the show with Disinfect” and Run for Coverto send the crowd home happy.

Setlist:
I Like The Way You Die / All My Pride / Beaches / Corrine / Back Of The Bar / I Only Hurt the Ones I Love / Madonna / I Do It to Myself / Somebody Better / Summer ’92 / Dig / Believer / Fire /Spinning Wheel / Hello Today / Disinfect / Run For Cover

Black Honey are: Izzy B Phillips (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Ostler (vocals, guitar), Tommy Taylor (vocals, bass guitar), Alex Woodward (drums)

Setlist:
I Like The Way You Die / All My Pride / Beaches / Corrine / Back Of The Bar / I Only Hurt the Ones I Love / Madonna / I Do It to Myself / Somebody Better / Summer ’92 / Dig / Believer / Fire /Spinning Wheel / Hello Today / Disinfect / Run For Cover

Black Honey are: Izzy B Phillips (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Ostler (vocals, guitar), Tommy Taylor (vocals, bass guitar), Alex Woodward (drums)

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Bandcamp

About The Author

Show More
Back to top button
error: Content is protected !!