Dirty Honey - Nottingham Review

I cannot remember a January that was as busy gig-wise as this January has been. Usually the gigging calendar does not kick off in a big way so soon - but this month has been a busy one for me, and this past weekend I went to my fourth show. Interestingly, too, it was the fourth to sell out. I go to many busy concerts, but few that are genuinely sold out. The fact that all four of this month's shows sold out well in advance was certainly a good thing to see - especially with how precarious the live music business remains. Seeing both long-established and up-and-coming bands pack out venues in four different places shows that things may somewhat be looking up. It is best to take each show as it comes, though, and the occasion to celebrate this weekend past was the visit of US hard rockers Dirty Honey to Nottingham. Dirty Honey formed back in 2017, and have been making quite a name for themselves over the past few years - releasing their debut EP in 2019 and their first album in 2021. Although there had been some gentle buzz around the band here in the UK for a while, and I think I started listening to the EP in 2020, both the EP and the album were unavailable physically here until the two were released in a handy double CD pack last year to coincide with Dirty Honey's first live appearances in Europe - which saw them supporting Rival Sons. Sadly I could not make any of the shows on the Rival Sons tour, but by all accounts Dirty Honey went down well in the UK and the rest of Europe - so much so that a couple of months ago the band announced their first European headline tour, which kicked off with a healthy run of UK shows. By this point I had picked up the aforementioned double CD set, so was familiar with the band's debut album as well as their EP, and knew that I had to make the effort to see them - especially having missed the Rival Sons tour. Nottingham on a Saturday night seemed like the most sensible option, and tickets were booked as soon as they went on sale. This is generally how I operate, but it is rare that doing so is actually necessary. A couple of days later, though, the Nottingham show at The Bodega sold out - to the disappointment of many. I was glad that I was on the ball, otherwise I would have almost certainly missed out. All of the rest of the UK shows sold out pretty quickly, too, with some even being upgraded to bigger rooms. I have no doubt that Dirty Honey's show would have been moved to the Rescue Rooms had it not already been in use that night - but for selfish reasons I am glad that it was not, as seeing a hot young band in a small, packed room always makes for a memorable experience. I had not been to The Bodega before, and it reminded me a little of a smaller version of an old Leicester venue called Sub91 - being upstairs with the small stage pushed into a corner. Being sold out, the place was absolutely rammed throughout - with Nottingham doing its reputation as a city that loves its music proud.

Before Dirty Honey took to the stage, the packed venue was treated to half an hour or so of indie rock from the Welsh four-piece Himalayas. I was not familiar with the band prior to this past weekend, but I think that they did quite an admirable job opening the evening - even if I did not think that they were all that compatible with Dirty Honey's sound. Dirty Honey definitely take their inspiration from 1970s and 1980s classic rock, whilst Himalayas have a much more modern sound - with dryer guitar tones, post-punk vocal overtones, and a fuzzy/psychedelic edge. That being said, though, Himalayas generally went down pretty well with the crowd. Despite having an indie edge to their sound, the band's songs were generally pretty riff-driven - which allowed for some surprisingly heavy headbanging moments that occasionally reminded me a bit of Nine Inch Nail's more guitar-driven material. There was little genuine lead guitar to be found, but there was plenty of fuzz. One of the guitarists tended to focus more on creating textures and atmospheres whilst the other riffed away - and the combination worked quite well, with the bass high in the mix to really propel everything forward. As such, and despite the band's songs all being pretty short (most were under three minutes in length), there was a surprising amount going on in each song - which made the band's set remain interesting and fly by. I cannot say that Himalaya's music would be the sort of thing that I would choose to listen to in my own time, but the band still impressed - and generally went over well with the crowd. Perhaps the mix of throwback classic rock and more modern indie is a better match than I initially gave it credit for - and this tour is probably a good way for Himalayas to get themselves in front of crowds who might not be obvious candidates for being fans of their music - and that can only be a good thing, especially as the band generally received a strong reception throughout. They had to battle a pretty rough sound mix during the first couple of numbers, too, but came through it to deliver an interesting and impressive set packed with strong riffs and a distinct atmosphere.

Dirty Honey may not have much of a back catalogue to draw from yet, but that did not stop them from taking the roof off The Bodega - and the capacity crowd did not mind either. When the band took to the stage at approx. 20:45, the crowd was treated to 75 minutes of excellent blues-based hard rock - with a set consisting of nearly every song that the band have released up to this point, a couple of covers, and even a new song written for album number two. The strutting, mid-paced Gypsy kicked things off, with the song's rolling riff flowing out of guitarist John Notto - before the stage was very much owned by frontman Marc LaBelle. Clearly taking a lot of influence from Steven Tyler, LaBelle is very much the epitome of a rock frontman. He struck all the right poses throughout the set, and sounded fantastic vocally. This is not to take anything away from the rest of the band, but LaBelle's captivating presence is a big reason why Dirty Honey are currently soaring. He hogged the spotlight throughout, but Notto also had his fair share of screentime - particularly as the set went on. He was a little low in the mix at first, but after a while his guitar was nice and loud - cutting through the snaking rhythm section of bassist Justin Smolian and new drummer Jaydon Bean. Notto might not be as much of a shape-thrower as LaBelle, but he very much has the makings of a modern rock guitar hero. His solos were packed with bluesy phrasing and emotion throughout the night, whilst his riffing ranged from the up-tempo hard rock of Heartbreaker and the moodier tones of Scars.

It is hard to pick out highlights as the band are yet to release a bad song in my opinion, but the groovy Tied Up was definitely one of the earlier standouts - with Smolian's bass driving everything thanks to his lyrical playing, whilst LaBelle screamed the chorus with real venom. Given the Tyler reference, it was unsurprising that the band chose to tackle an Aerosmith song - with a strutting version of Last Child coming about half way through the night. It might not be one of the band's biggest songs, but Dirty Honey did it justice - with Notto adding his own spin on the dirty guitar heroics of Joe Perry and songwriter Brad Whitford. The gorgeous Down the Road then showcased the band's more emotional side, with a heartfelt LaBelle vocal which soon gave way to some of Notto's most aching lead playing of the night - making the track another highlight. In contrast, the fast-paced Ride On, the new number, certainly made me look forward to the band's next album. The high-octane rocker is possibly the most energetic Dirty Honey tune yet, and it really got the crowd moving before a hard rocking version of Prince's Let's Go Crazy showcased the band's slightly funky side. By this point, though, there was not much time left. Newer bands without big catalogues should leave you wanting more, and that is just what Dirty Honey did. The chiming California Dreamin' saw LaBelle climbing on top of the speaker, whilst Another Last Time was the final slower, bluesier moment of the night - with some more aching Notto leads. It was then left to the EP's two big singles to close the night. Notto teased the intro to When I'm Gone with some great soloing and riffing, which the crowd then sang back at the band loudly - whilst Rolling 7s, with its huge chorus, brought the night to a powerful, 1980s-drenched close. The setlist was:

Gypsy

Break You

Heartbreaker

The Wire

Scars

Tied Up

Last Child [Aerosmith cover]

No Warning

Down the Road

Ride On

Let's Go Crazy [Prince and the Revolution cover]

California Dreamin'

Another Last Time

When I'm Gone

Rolling 7s

Despite the set being on the short side, which is expected when seeing newer bands, Dirty Honey really knocked it out of the park on Saturday in Nottingham. Given the on-going success of this European tour, I very much doubt that next time the band visit the UK they will be playing in rooms the size of The Bodega again - and I would not be surprised to see them fill the Rescue Rooms or maybe even pull a decent-sized crowd at Rock City next time they return to Nottingham. Dirty Honey are certainly a band who are on the up - and I just hope that they are able to capitalise on their current success and momentum by putting out a great second album in due course and then hitting the road even harder. I will be there when they do.