In Review: Honeyblood's Leeds show proves the perfect end to UK Tour

The newly refurbished main gig room at Brudenell Social Club was the last stop on Honeyblood’s extensive UK tour, they warmly welcomed the Leeds faithful with their punchy new single ‘Bubble Gun’. The punky riffs are delivered energetically and are accompanied by equally bitey and rhythmic vocals, persuading the crowd to sway and to assuage any doubts that the now solo venture of Stina Tweeddale still hits hard. Since the departure of drummer Cat Myers, Stina was accompanied on stage by former Charli XCX drummer Deborah Knox-Hewson and Anna Donigan, former PINS bassist.

Nostalgia suddenly hits as we are transported back to 2014 with ‘Biro’ and ‘Choker’: the flawless vocals continued throughout the melodies of the former and the all too familiar chorus of the latter. The crowd had little power to do anything but revel at the talent on stage as we’re blessed with some of the biggest hits from all three albums from ‘Super Rat’, to ‘Walking at Midnight’, to ‘Touch’. The provision of an excellent mix of all three albums undoubtedly catered to everyone’s needs as they flicked seamlessly through the discography, with the energetic trio clearly enjoying themselves as much as everyone in attendance.

Stina then tells the crowd that the best dancer for the next few songs would receive a signed t-shirt. A personal favourite track of mine, ‘Sea Hearts’ from the 2nd LP ‘Babes Never Die’ kicked off the final third of the setlist as the crowd really began to get into the spirit of it all. A lucky guy won the dance-off and Stina hands him a t-shirt.

Of course, arguably three of the biggest tracks were saved for the end: ‘She’s a Nightmare’, ‘Killer Bangs, and ‘Ready for the Magic’. The conclusion of the set maintained the energy that we’d become accustomed to throughout the setlist. After the gig, Stina arrived at the merch stand at which I was first in line, to sign records and further interact with the crowd.

In comparison to previous Honeyblood gigs I’ve attended, I did miss the camaraderie that Stina and Cat shared. However, the newly formed trio overcame that and performed incredibly well together, doing justice to the earlier material as much as the newer tracks.