By Jasmine Wallis
Photo by Androptrnt
The electronic duo had their dedicated fans grooving from the start of one of their first Aussie shows
Their music has been described as synth-pop, R&B, dance-pop, and soul all rolled into one so it’s no surprise that British duo, Honne, put on a rich and engaging show at one of their first-ever Australian gigs. Performing at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, the cosy venue became packed out quickly with audience members remarking that they should’ve been booked at a bigger venue. Considering this was the band’s first trip down under, maybe they didn’t expect their loyal audience of five years to buy tickets so quickly that they had to add another night at the intimate location.
Bursting onto the stage, the audience was singing along to every single song as they alternated tunes off their two albums, ‘Warm on a Cold Night’ and their latest, ‘Love Me/ Love Me Not’. The electronic pair made up of James Hatcher and Andy Clutterbuck put a fresh twist on old school love ballads. With HONNE being translated to ‘true feelings’ in Japanese, the duo sing lyrics to honour the band’s name such as: “These are the moments I cherish/ Us hiding from the rain/ I stay by your side till I perish/ I know you’d do the same.” on their track ‘Feels So Good’ and “It’s just me and you/ Now we’re taking in the view/ We can spend the rest of our days / Way up here, just me and you” on ‘Me & You’.
Romantic lyrics aside, Honne’s performance was impactful through the way they brought the crowd together. Asking the crowd to put their arms around the person next to them so that hundreds of people were embracing and doing a Justin Timberlake ‘Senorita’-Esque moment by asking just the guys to sing followed by just the girls as they performed their first single ‘Warm on a Cold Night’, as well as dancing about the stage with their live band, BEKA (backing vocals), Mo Slicks (drums), Amadu Koroma (bass guitar), all looking out into the large crowd with the biggest smiles on their faces.
The group played for more than an hour, grooving to hit after hit and taking the crowd on a rollercoaster of love, with good vibes topped off by Clutterbuck’s silky-smooth vocals. As people streamed out of the squishy venue, happy and laughing, the consensus was that next time they needed to play at a bigger location so even more of their loyal fans could witness Honne’s electric energy.