There I was. I had just finished my shift in Sydney CBD, and I half-ran, half-walked over to the metro. I knew I was going to be slightly late, but that didn’t stop the adrenaline rush through my veins. I had never been to The Roundhouse, and when I eventually got there, I was pleasantly surprised. With a food stand, a bar and an outdoor chill-out area, I knew I was in for a decent night.
While I was waiting for the show to begin, drink in hand, I chucked my hair up in a bun. Bopping along to the chilled-out, somewhat whimsical waiting music, I scanned the crowd. It was full of friend groups and couples giggling and cuddling. I instantly felt insanely single, but in a way, I was grateful to feel the love of the community atmosphere. The Roundhouse was full, but the crowd was respectful and calm.
HONNE are a duo from London, England, consisting of Andrew Peter Clutterback and James William Hatcher. After first forming the duo in 2014, HONNE released their debut album in 2016. The album garnered positive responses from the music world, leading to their second album ‘Love Me/Love Me Not’ going multi-platinum or gold in various areas. HONNE has a very distinct electronic sound that comes through as a very easy-listening and feel-good style.
Visually, the band sticks to a very funky, almost cartoon-style aesthetic. At the Roundhouse show, there were props replicating cartoon clouds and a huge prop of the figure on their ‘Ouch’ album cover. As I came to find, it was very fitting of the energy in the room. The opening of the show consisted of someone, presumably Hatcher, in an oversized costume head (the same of which is portrayed in the album cover) coming on stage to sweep the floor, while being confused by the crowd — a comical introduction to an incredibly engaging show.
After the first song, Clutterbuck took over the spotlight to announce his love for Australia and his recently obtained Australian citizenship. In the middle of describing how his Mother was born here, someone from the crowd shouted out for them to do a ‘shoey’ — the only way to become a ‘true’ Australian. The band held off for the majority of the concert before giving in right at the end to down their drink from their sweaty, post-show shoes.
The band sang quite a few of their hits, namely ‘B I K E’ and ‘no song without you’. I note these because of the fact they had some of the most relaxed engagements between performers and a crowd I’ve ever seen. For the duo’s song ‘B I K E’, someone in the crowd brought a bike bell, and rang it every time it would appear in the song. Clutterbuck and Hatcher noticed and started up a conversation with the fan. They amped up the crowd to then sing the chorus with no music or backtrack — which sounded incredibly pretty — and had the fan with the bell ring it at the right time. It became a consistent mention throughout the show, and I can imagine a very memorable experience for the fan.
Unfortunately, I missed the opening act Liang Lawrence due to clocking off from my shift at the time the concert began. It was a nice surprise to find that she was integrated throughout the main show. I had never seen a support act be so involved in the main act; it was very refreshing to see. Not only was she helping out with backing vocals, but both Lawrence and HONNE played their collaborated song from the new album — and one of my favourite songs in the performance — ‘Say That You Will Wait For Me’. Her vocals were smooth and hypnotic. In contrast to the rest of the show, being that it was very upbeat and covered in love, Lawrence’s performance put me into a contemplative state. It was touching to see and feel how much the band genuinely adored Lawrence, and rightfully so.
After telling the crowd about how they found Lawrence on Spotify and fell in love with her music, HONNE played one of the fan favourites from their debut album title track ‘Warm on a Cold Night’. At this point in the show, Clutterbuck got down from the stage and proceeded to the barricades to greet the crowd. When it came to the chorus, Clutterbuck walked up to a fan in the crowd, and explained that if he could sing the words, he would do a ‘shoey’. The man sang a lovely, somewhat off-key, version of the chorus, confirming solidarity for those who were desperate for HONNE to be drowning in sweaty-shoe beer.
At the end of the show, the band stuck to their promises to the fans and did the ‘shoey’ in question. They played a few more songs for the encore, and I departed for home. The light rail seemed lighter than usual, and the train ride didn’t feel so long. HONNE created a light-hearted and engaging atmosphere and were able to really portray their style in both the music, visuals and their stage presence.
