The Fat Angel Sings

Bullies, bastards and bullshitters beware, Glasgow’s Honeyblood have cooked up 40 minutes of sonic chemical castration and they’re coming for every lover and loser that’s ever fucked them over.It’s been a rather dramatic year for our favourite all-female Scottish two-piece, they’ve been on something of a meteoric rise to fame ever since signing to Fat Cat Records and releasing their self titled debut album. Just when things seemed to be going almost too well, half the band, in the form of drummer Shona McVicar, left mid-way through a tour, so full credit then to singing guitarist Stina, who not only decided to carry on the band but had a new drummer up and running just a matter of days later, evidence of the old cliché, the show must go on!

And thank heavens for that, because that debut was unquestionably one of the most intriguing albums of the year. A stunning middle ground of beautifully harmonious vocals and angry barbed lyrics, of gorgeous melodies and crushing walls of noise. They recalled the honey dripped harmonies of 60’s girl bands, and the raw power of grunge. The bands name Honeyblood really couldn’t be more apt.

From the playground chanting of Super Rat, to the Idlewild recalling opening track Fall Forever, and the almost country-grunge of Bud (a song that’s much more appealing than country-grunge makes it sound!) they created a varied and excellent debut album, one that surely surpassed what even their most ardent fan could have imagined.

Honeyblood and their eponymous, debut LP. Recorded at legendary producer Peter Katis Tarquin Studios (The National, Interpol) in just ten days last November, ”Honeyblood” is an accomplished and delightfully fierce record. “Peter was the perfect match for us,” singer/guitarist Stina Tweeddale said of the recording. “He perfectly managed to capture our live performance in the studio.” From the urgent guitar and dive-bomb drums of opener ”Fall Forever”, the album twists through the gutsy punk of ”Killer Bangs”, to reveal discordant anthems like ”SuperRat”. It has pared down alt pop gems in the likes of ”Biro” and ”No Spare Key”, but also more country/folk influenced moments like, ”(I”d Rather Be) Anywhere But Here”, ”Braid Burn Valley” and ”Bud”. The band started from humble DIY beginnings, organising their own guerrilla show at The Old Hairdressers in Glasgow to commemorate the release of a raucous two-track cassette entitled, ”Thrift Shop'”. Honeyblood quickly ingrained themselves into the bustling Glaswegian scene, fast becoming one of its most talked-about names and going on to play festivals everywhere from The Great Escape to their native T In The Park. But with their full-length debut ready to go, big name supports, and world tours locked, 2014 certainly looks to be the year with Honeyblood”s name written all over it.