It’s been quite sometime since Stina Tweeddale played in Dundee and she’s returned without her original musical partner. It’s not all bad news though as the new album proves there’s plenty musical talent to come from this solo artist. As Honeyblood embark on a UK wide tour, they played Aberdeen last night and will follow on to the capital in two days. But first, Beat Generator welcomes two fantastic predominantly solo artists, who will play to the busy crowd as full bands.
Emme Woods
The self professed music maker and booty shaker takes the stage but she’s not alone. Bubbles, the chihuahua take her spot, front of stage and quite cosy in the temporary doggy bed made from a jacket. The 60’s look and feel from Emme exudes from her and her voice grabs you from the start. It’s no secret that her love of music is rooted in the 60’s and she quotes Brian Wilson and Fleetwood Mac as direct influences. Mix this in with a modern feel of Janis Joplin meets Brody Dalle coupled with the atmospheric blues guitar and some essential tremolo effects and it’s a recipe for success. Haunting, chilling guitar chords hang in the air as her gravel voice cuts through the silence right to the heart of the audience. “Heavy Weather” and “Mirror mirror” open the solo part of her set. After these two mesmeric solo tunes, some regular friends join her on stage. Jamie Bogie (Guitar), Scarlett Randle (Bass), Jack Boyce(drums) and Kevin Tierney (Trumpet) give a more traditional look to the stage as this collection of musicians form the band. The addition of the trumpet brings some real empathy to the songs and having the two guitars play shimmering chords and wonderful picked vibrato bring ethereal layers to the music. The drums come to the fore at times in the performance as the straight back beats are bolstered by some real enthusiastic enigmatic drumming. The melancholy in “I Don’t Drink To Forget” is incredible and the crowd stand mesmerised.
Bubbles makes an appearance as she picks her way carefully across the stage during “That’s that”. She takes safe refuge as Emme becomes more animated and intense during this song. As we are introduced to “Mother Doesn’t Love You” Jamie picks up a bottle of Buckfast and runs it up and down his fretboard like a guitar slide. Emme grooves throughout the tune and Uma Thurman wouldn’t look out of place dancing like she did in Pulp Fiction with Vincent Vega.
The spellbinding and addictive “Kill Yer Darlin” is up next which is well received then the penultimate song, “I’ve Been Running”, sees Emme at her playful best. The final song “It’s Ma Party” ironically brings the set to a close. Just as the band were getting into full swing, it’s all over. A truly mesmeric performance tonight, one of which I will remember for many years to come or at least until I see Emme Woods and her magical band again.We cannot display this gallery
Honeyblood
It’s an upbeat start as “Sea Hearts” from the 2016 album“Babes Never Die” kicks off the set. “Biro” up next, from the first self titled album.2019 sees the release of a new album “In Plain Sight” and between that and “Honeyblood”, these two albums form the backbone of the set tonight. “The Third Degree” brings back the 60’s feel to the evening as the first song from the new album is aired.
“Hey Stellar” brings us smack band into the sound of Honeybloodat it’s core. “Walking At Midnight”, a single from Babes Never Die is next before “I’d Rather Be Anywhere But Here”, one of my favourites of the night. There’s a real charm about this line up. The three piece band really works and the charm and maturity from the music is alluring. The smartest rat in the sewer is the subject of the next song. Of course, the song is not literal but we get the message,“Super Rat” is a wicked number. We get some real “Crashing with a passion”as during the performance of “Glimmer”, the snare drum suffers an early demise. Luckily, there’s more than one “spare snare” in Dundee [sic] as Emme Woods is on hand to bring the spare to the stage. As we wait for the drum to be replaced, we get an impromptu version of “Bud”. With the kit back together, the evenings back on track with“Gibberish”. “Fall Forever” sees the band in full flow anddoing what they do best. Another track from the new album “Take the Wheel” is next and you can hear the evolution from those early tunes. “Babes” follows and the song is about finding inner strength when someone screws you over. Another early single is next “Killer Bangs” before the last song from the new album is played tonight,“She’s A Nightmare”. Clever use of a backing track to include the keyboards from the catchy song. The video is worth checking out if you get the chance.
The last single played tonight is “Ready For The Magic” and as the music fades to rapturous applause, the band take their leave. Honeyblood’s new album “In Plain Sight” is quoted as being a riddle to solve. We got to hear this puzzle live tonight and how it fits in the grand scheme of things. Like any good puzzle, it leaves you wanting more, and on the strength of the performance tonight, I am curious, you will be to. We cannot display this gallery
The band are on tour throughout June
3 – Edinburgh, Summerhall
4 – Newcastle, The Cluny
5 – Sheffield, Plug
6 – Guildford, The Boileroom
7 – Bedford, Esquires
8 – Oxford, O2 Academy 2
10 – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
11 – Liverpool, Arts Club
12 – Preston, Preston Guild Hall
13 – Hull, The Polar Bear
14 – Stoke-On-Trent, The Sugarmill
15 – Kendal, The Brewery