Up and coming Brighton band set to release debut album

So thick is the talent pool of bands and singers that it is sometimes difficult for bands to fight their way to the top and out of just the local scene.

It, therefore, says a lot about a band who can manage this.

For many bands it can take a decade or longer of work their way out of the local music scene, but for Black Honey it has taken just a few years.

Formed in 2014, the alternative rockers have made a name for themselves across the world with their hard-hitting and fast paced tracks.

Despite not having a full album to their name, and only two EPs – 2014’s self-titled release and 2016s Headspin – the group have managed to sell out Brighton Concorde, and similar size venues across the country.

“You know how much that means for someone who has grown up dreaming that one day they could even grace the stage at Concorde, let alone sell it out twice,” says lead singer Izzy B Phillips.

And remember what I said about no full-length album, well that’s about to change too.

The band’s debut album, which will also be self-titled, is set to drop next Friday, October 21.

“It’s so exciting,” Izzy says.

“It feels like we’ve waited an entire lifetime to put out our record.

“It’s surreal that it’s actually happening now but it feels really good, it feels like the start of everything that we have to give.”

Talking to Izzy, her enthusiasm and passion is clear to see.

It’s obvious how much this album means to her, and the entire group.

It is also an album that has come about quite quickly,

They started recording in March, with the album having just a six-month turn around.

According to Izzy, this is due to the financial constraints that come with recording on a budget.

“Because we have so little money we had to figure out a way of getting into the studio that worked with the producer’s schedule,” she said.

“We weren’t allowed to be a priority, we had to wait until they had they time free to work on us.”

However, the singer goes on to say that although it can be difficult, bands should not let a lack of resources stop them making something magical: “I think if you let money become a problem you’ll never get anywhere, in music. If you really want something you’ll be able to find a way of doing it.

“It’s way more of a thrill to have no budget and make something exciting than it is to have loads of money.

“When you have no budget and deliver stuff people can’t make sense of it.”

A perfect example of this is Black Honey’s music video for I Only Hurt The Ones I Love, as Izzy talks me through the cracking backstory of how they made a high quality video on a shoestring budget.

“We went out to the Desert and filmed it on the set where they filmed The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

“It was essentially just a theme park, so we broke into the theme park with our cameras and pretended to be tourists.

“We bought tickets and pretended we were being normal while filming with this massive camera.

“We brought the toy guns for the shoot in the gift shop.

“We had to wait for all the tourists to leave the shop. It maybe cost £300.”

The video itself is pretty impressive and quite a fun watch.

You’d never know that the band had been limited by financial resources.

It serves as proof that up-and-coming bands can make something great with no money, as long as they have the imagination.

Izzy admits that the band have plenty in the barrel when it comes to imagination and creativity.

The indie-rock outfit have proved that on their debut album, with their alternative sound meeting a 90s cinematic vision, and an apparent pop influence thrown in for good measure.

“It’s fun because nobody else is doing it in the way we are, it feels like we’re like explorers,” Izzy says.

“It feels like if this is the start what could we make next.”

Newest single, Midnight, is the perfect example of this new sound.

There are definite grungy vibes to it, but the vocal styling has a clear pop influence.

Whatever it is, it’s catchy as heck and will go down a storm live.

Speaking of live, the band will be back out on the road soon in support of their new record.

Having been on an extensive run, including headline tours and a slot supporting fellow Brightonians Royal Blood, Izzy admits the band may have been left a little drained.

However, after a slightly lighter summer schedule, and off the back of a new album, Black Honey are once again “hungry” for the road.

Their rise in the music world has been a fast one, something that took the band by surprise at first.

On their last tour, Izzy says they were left awestruck when they sold out the Haunt so quickly that the venue was quickly upgraded to the Concorde, which they also ended up selling out.

Speaking of escaping the Brighton bubble, the singer continues to say that it was a “good day” when they realised that had happened.

That’s not to say that they were glad to be out of the city, but more so glad that they had been able to expand out of the huddle of talent the city has to offer.

“Coming back really lovingly, but knowing we’d grown out of the tiny community we were bred in, was really important,” she says of that first hometown show back.

“It’s weird when you play a town for so many years and you can’t even get three people to come and see you and then all of a sudden you’re selling out Concorde. I’m still shocked that people come and see us.”

Things all seem to be going in the right direction for the Brighton band with the world at their feet.