Live Review: Black Honey - O2 Academy, Oxford 14/05/2018
A packed out O2 Academy in Oxford is getting ready to welcome Brighton's devilishly beautiful rockers Black Honey. The stage is adorned with disco mirror balls, hanging from every place imaginable. The crowd are buzzing with anticipation and if the staging is anything to go by then we are in for a memorable night.
Emerging on to the stage, a lone figure, Tom Dewhurst took up his position on the drums, nestled in behind a frame of mirror balls with screams and cheers from the euphoric crowd. Tom is shortly followed by the other guys, guitarist Chris Ostler and bassist Tommy Taylor, before the sultry leading lady Izzy Phillips takes up her position at the golden microphone, with her iconic Fender Squire in hand. They open the set with “Only Hurt The Ones I Love” and classic “Madonna” which gets the whole crowd singing along. There is a definite Americana influences in their music and this is reflected in Izzy's attire, she compliments the mirror balls with a tantalising red sequin thing high dress, with a neckerchief and cowgirl hat to complete the western look.
The middle of the set is rammed full of their greatest tracks sandwiched between their latest single “Bad Friends” and another new track “Midnight”. Both songs are taken from the new album which Izzy reveals will be released in September!
Bad Friends has a fantastic reception and Midnight is warmly embraced, the passionate fans are on another level tonight with almost non-stop moshing during “Somebody Better”, “Bloodlust” and the frenzied, Tarantino-esque “Spinning Wheel”. Tonight's antics are eventually taken down a notch with Izzy commenting on how hot the room is before asking the audience to show her their mobile phone lights as she embarks on the beautifully touching ballad “
Baby”. The night is now coming to a close with two of Black Honeys classic songs, “Hello Today” and “Corrine”. Izzy steps out from the stage onto the barrier where she serenades the crowd, a smile beaming on her face. A natural performer who looks so at home.
Tonight has been full of so much energy, love and passion, the whole tour has been a great warm up to their festival season as Black Honey are making numerous appearances across the country, including Oxfordshires
Truck Festival. So if you see them on a line up, I suggest you don the cowboy boots, the sequins and the cowboy hat and loose your inhibitions for an hour! You won't regret it.
Words and Photography by
Rachel Prew