Photo: Press
Seeing an act in the early stages of their career can be both an exciting and daunting experience.
More often that not, huge issues need to be ironed out, and any shades of potential are arguably downtrodden by the feeling that everything has been rushed to catch up with the hype.
Thankfully then, Honne are doing things differently to their contemporaries.
Despite first amassing buzz months ago, last night saw the duo play their second gig in our nation's capital, obviously biding their time and perfecting their live show before deciding to unleash it onto an audience. It becomes apparent minutes into their set that this move was genius, as an intimate North London crowd was treated to 45 minutes of meticulously crafted, R&B grounded pop.
The duo's sultry, seductive rhythms that resonate on record are effortlessly accentuated in a live environment, the whole crowd at Angel's Electrowerkz subconsciously fighting the urge to gyrate from the offset. Their setup is simple yet elegant, the turtlenecked frontman given room to pace around the stage amidst an understated light set up, close enough to crowd for them to be hanging on his every word.
Playing a combination of new material and the tracks which established the band at the tail end of last year, an early appearance of the downright sexy single 'Warm On A Cold Night' draws a rapturous reception from the room, something which is heightened in a later appearance of 'The Night', the chorus hook sung in unison by everyone in the room. Every aspect of their live show feels perfectly crafted, not relying on backing tracks but instead extremely talented musicians to create an immersive environment to house their luxurious material.
The potential of the pair was always apparent from their recent singles, but everything was simply taken to the next level throughout this performance, with as-yet unreleased tracks such as 'Baby Please' and 'Top To Toe' sitting as hits in-waiting, comfortably sitting alongside set closer 'All In The Value', which is no doubt already at that stage.
Honne are simply a living testament to the power of patience, and the benefit of putting an immense amount of thought and foresight into your work, the rewards of which this duo will undeniably reap this coming festival season.
