Dirty Honey Ignites Camden: A Sweaty Night of Rock ‘n’ Roll Revelry

16 February 2024 rocknews

It may have been a cold night in Camden, but it was hot and sweaty in the Electric Ballroom as North London welcomed LA rockers Dirty Honey on the penultimate date of their UK tour, promoting latest offering ‘Can’t Find the Breaks’.

Baby Said

Opening the proceedings were the exciting and original Baby Said. The core of the band are Italian / Punjabi sisters Veronica and Jessica Pal. Named after their favourite Måneskin song, they were discovered while busking in 2021 and spent the next couple of years playing covers (under the name Astro Mode) and performing over 200 gigs.

This experience shone through this evening as they thrilled the Electric Ballroom crowd. Hard rocking single ‘Fight’, written about their experiences playing as a covers band, was a definite highlight and showcased their songwriting and performance skills.

Baby Said are one to watch, and we can’t wait for the album!

View Thumbnails

Dirty Honey

We first set eyes (and lenses) on Dirty Honey back in the Summer where they gave a storming performance on the Rainbow Stage as part of Guns ’N’ Roses’ day in Hyde Park, and have been eagerly awaiting their return to the UK and their own headline tour.

For a band that only formed in 2017, they have built up a strong following, having opened for the likes of The Black Crows, Kiss and Rival Sons, and co-headlining a successful tour with Mammoth WVH in 2022.

The quartet received a huge welcome from the Camden audience and immediately launched into ‘Can’t Find the Breaks’, the title track from the latest album – Justin Smolain’s bass leading the charge before being joined by the guitar of John Notto and drums of new member Jaydon Bean. By the time Marc LaBelle started singing, the crowd were nodding, fist-pumping and bouncing as one. LaBelle played on this brilliantly, swirling his mic stand and holding it out to the audience, encouraging them to join in. We got six more from the new album, with ‘Dirty Mind’ and ‘Don’t Put Out the Fire’ being highlights. The rest of the set was mainly made up of songs from their 2021 self-titled album, and 2019 EP of the same name. They also treated us to two covers; the first being an acoustic ‘Honky Tonk Woman’. Their take on the classic Rolling Stones number was inspired, and showcased John Notto’s exceptional guitar playing. The band had recorded a version of Prince’s ‘Let’s Go Crazy in 2022, but hearing it live was fantastic. Stamping their sleazy, bluesy rock feel onto this pop classic transformed it. It was like it belonged to them, and the fans lapped it up.

‘Another Last Time’ and ‘When I’m Gone’ took us to the end of the main set, and they were back after a short break for a two-song encore of ‘Won’t Take Me Alive’ and 2019’s ‘Rolling 7s’.

Marc LeBelle apparently came up with the name Dirty Honey after hearing Robert Plant talk about his all-star band The Honeydrippers, thinking it sounded like a “dirty rock ’n’ roll name”, and it definitely suits them. Like their contemporaries Rival Sons, Dirty Honey are a shining light and a torchbearer of bluesy, dirty rock and we love them for it.

Dirty Honey tour Europe throughout February and March, before dates in Australia and the USA.