Narc. Magazine Online
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Dominic Stephenson experiences a mixed bag of a set from the brooding trio
Image by Kalpesh Lathigra
Opening for Honeyglaze, Oscar Browne instantly evoked the folk balladry of the Coen brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack – quite the feat for a first impression. Joined by the former’s Yuri Shibuichi on bass, the singer-songwriter induced a captivating myriad of sweet alt. indie notes. Based on this showing, he’s already etched out fertile ground for himself in the UK’s revitalised folk scene.
Honeyglaze first drew curiosity with a string of refreshing singles and then demanded attention with their brooding sophomore album. Reminiscent of Black Country, New Road’s early days, the trio had pulled a surprisingly large crowd for a Sunday night and one that was the personification of the gentrification of the Ouseburn. Opener I Feel It All is loaded with tense atmospherics but may have been a more potent tool deeper in the set, and the percussive punches of the BC, NR-core Safety Pins simmers with correlating qualities. Debut single Burglar drips with melancholic heft and is a bedrock of their soundscape however, as they waded into the second half of the set, it began to feel a bit like an endurance test. Anouska Sokolow no doubt has a gifted voice but the lack of variety in her vocal range can be a little tiresome and while there’s ample room for the ornate instrumental arrangements to flourish, live, there’s no disguising the often uninspiring lyrics, a sort of anti-wordplay. Concluding with the angsty stabs of Don’t, they weren’t abetted by a tepid audience and even though there’s a lot to admire about the band (Real Deal is why I was there, after all), overall this felt too frequently toothless.
