Honeyblood kicked off their first post-pandemic tour in a hot and sticky Edinburgh to a Summerhall crowd abuzz with anticipation and suitably warmed up (if that was needed) by Posable Action Figures.
The duo Gareth Goodland (vocals/guitar) and Kyle Grieve (drums/programming) who had rattled through ten song set of guitar driven melodic alt.rock featuring most of their 2021 debut album, It Is What It Is.
Launching straight into Glimmer from most recent album, In Plain Sight from 2019, Honeyblood (vocalist/guitarist Stina Tweeddale, bassist Anna Donigan and drummer Debbie Knox-Hewson) show they mean business after the enforced break in touring due to the pandemic. Tweeddale filled the void with a Patreon supported/led solo project, Stina Marie Claire. Formed in 2012 as a duo, the band have evolved in the passing decade and developed a loyal following for their fuzzed-up rock/dark pop mix that live gains a distinctly muscular edge that fits well for the lovely Dissection Room venue.
A false start to The Third Degree aside, any early nerves they may have soon dissipate and the crowd are treated to a set encompassing all three albums to date, with stand outs in Sea Hearts and She’s a Nightmare, the pure joy of playing live together again to an increasingly mobile audience evident.
As the set progresses, two new songs, Edge of War and Hooked, are unveiled from the forthcoming fourth album and indicate there will be much to look forward.
Before we know it, fifteen songs have flown by and the set is at an end. Tweeddale responds to requests for an encore with a solo rendition of Bud from the eponymous debut before, with a final arms raised salute and thank you goodbye, departs.
On this form Honeyblood are a force to be reckoned with and enjoyed. Catch them as the tour progresses around Scotland.
The tour continues at:
- Galashiels, MacArts 12th August
- Dunoon, Burgh Hall 13th August
- Ayr, Harleys/Furys 14th August
- Ullapool, Village Hall 16th August
- Stirling, Tolbooth 17th August
- Dumfries, The Venue 19th August
- Bathgate, Reconnect Regal Theatre 20th August
- Dunfirmline, PJ Molloys 21st August
Words and pictures: Geoff Shaw @gshawisme