Live Review: Honeyglaze - Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds 25/05/2022
On the penultimate leg of their headline UK tour, Honeyglaze took to the stage at Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds to delight fans with a bewitching display of their unique take on alternative soul.
Since the release of the self-titled debut album from Honeyglaze, the record has being a near constant companion for me. Anywhere that I have gone and anything that I have done has seemingly been soundtracked by the band’s soulful laments and life has been much the better for it. It is rare that one connects so immediately with a record however, in this instance I was immediately sold. The sweet synergy of the band’s sparse instrumentation and the timeless beauty of lead singer Anouska Sokolow’s voice resonates perfectly with the ear and fills the soul with an unadulterated joy. Possessed by this deep reverence and full of expectant excitement I headed down to Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds to catch the band on the penultimate leg of their headline tour and they did not disappoint.
Emerging on stage at the dimly lit Leeds venue, Anouska Sokolow (Lead vocals, guitar and synth), Tim Curtis (Bass and vocals) and Yuri Shibuichi (Drums) were greeted by an eager crowd waiting with bated breath to catch a glimpse of the next big thing. The band opened their set with the as yet unheard ‘TV’, a track that unfolded with their signature playful lyrics and serene melodies
before eventually descending into to a crescendo of roaring guitars and smashing cymbals, an exciting experiment for fans to behold and an early suggestion that there is still plenty to come from the London trio.
Following such a roaring start to the evening’s proceedings the band played through ‘Young Looking’, ‘Female Lead’ and ‘I Am Not Your Cushion’ from their debut album before arriving at ‘Burglar’, the first single released under the moniker of Honeyglaze. Dark and pensive in it’s opening refrain, Sokolow plays with sumptuous imagery, ensnaring the listeners imagination before they are snatched from their romantic daze by Curtis and Shibuichi as they drag you through the track’s various bridges with a deft touch and a nonchalant flair. A track that flirts with perfection as readily as ‘Burglar’ does, performed with such masterful musicality was a genuinely spine tingling moment and the perfect exemplification of what makes Honeyglaze such an exciting prospect.
Throughout the remainder of the evening’s set the band played through more cuts from their debut including ‘Half Past’, ‘Creative Jealousy’ and ‘Shadows’ in addition to another unheard experiment, a track thats quality easily exceeded the output of some of their peers most polished offerings, yet another example of the band’s seemingly limitless creative potential.
Honeyglaze brought the show to a close with a rendition of ‘Childish Things’. Passionately wistful, the track charts a painful reflection of regretful exchanges and when performed lives sees Sokolow push her vocals to their limits as they grapple with the impassioned crashing of Shibuichi’s drums and Curtis’s bass, a truly awe-inspiring closer that left the crowd yearning for more. An awe-inspiring performance from a very special band.
Words by Jordan Corrigan
