At the risk of bashing on about Record Store Day until 2014, there is still some footage I’m leaking out from time to time. Ideally with a wee piece about each band that played for us tied into something they’re doing or promoting. There is a lot going on though, with lots of tasty music being played by the bands that helped us on the day.
Wounded Knee and eagleowl have been touring donchaknow. Adam Stafford has had an album launch. Mike Heron and Trembling Bells were on BBC Radio 6 Music doing a session the other day. Honeyblood are playing T in the Park today… Today! Friday. Those Rob St. John and Kid Canaveral blog pieces will have to wait.
Ahem, Honeyblood are pretty fantastic. Last year, Phil from Haribo-thrashers PAWS had given me some Honeyblood RSD tapes to try to sell. Yes cassette tapes, on the Cath Tapes label which he runs with some friends in Glasgow. They were home demos recorded in a bathroom on red cassette tape. Pretty rough recordings to be honest but you can feel the melody in there. No Spare Key sounds a bit like Sister Ray by The Velvet Underground for the 1st few bars. Is this a compliment?
Honeyblood: https://soundcloud.com/honeyblood/no-spare-key
The Velvet Underground: http://youtu.be/gDtqbS7DK2s
Yes, it is a compliment. I kept a copy for myself and sold the others. They are now very sought after. A stick of Rock history in the making.*
Honeyblood are a two piece now based in Glasgow. Guitar and drums. Stina and Shona. Great voice. Great songs. Lyrically like a bunch of blood red red roses. But watch-outcha! Those are thorny (Is that my blood?) red red roses.
It took a while for me to get to see them live at Henry’s gingerbread Cellar Bar (of course) although they have been in and out of town like sherbert dip for a while and there is some nice footage on youtube of them playing at Sneaky Pete’s for the Wide Days Scottish Music Industry event last year.
I sent the two-some a quick Twitter message (@yumhoneyblood), then a quick email asking if they would be able to play a short set for us for Record Store Day. “Hi Stina and Shona…blah blah blah” says I. “You fool” says Andy from Gerry Loves Records who knew Stina and was instrumental in helping organise the day. “Shona left the band”. Oh bugger, why doesn’t anyone tell me these things! I will appear a fool who knows nothing about the local music scene. “Who is the new drummer?” Andy didn’t know either. Andy went on to ask Stina about the equipment she’d need and so on. “… and what will your drummer need?” . Subtle Andy, very subtle.
As it turned out, Shona was back in the band. Oh Yeah! “your drummer!“. Jeez. Now it looks like I have my finger on the pulse.
“Hey, Sounds great” Say Honeyblood, and they came through and played for us and you.
“Happy Record Store Day guys!” Says Stina before singing Bud**:
“Hey, Sounds great !” say everyone present.
After flying around all day I managed to nip in to catch a bit of their set.
It is a sure mark of a successful day when you can’t see the band you’ve helped put on. Get outta my way everybody!
I only had a chance to say a quick thank you to the girls in person before they were off to do a session for In-Session local radio and then nipping back to deep fried Glasgow to plot world domination. First step some interviews with The List and The Herald, then T in the Park.
I’m stoked to say that there is a Honeyblood release in the pipeline due in August. I’ll let you know when they let me know.
If you are going to T in the Park, Honeyblood are playing the T Break Stage at 1800 today (Friday). Then you can go home for the day. Everything else will be bland porridge in your ears.
*Be aware that these two are not sugary fizzy-pop.
More like a nice lamb jalfrezi from Cinnamon in Portobello where you’ve actually eaten and chewed one of the green chillies. Maybe with a peshwari nan and some mango chutney and that onion stuff. Tasty, then on accidentally biting the long green thing… mmm there’s more to this. With bite. But tasty, very tasty.
** Footage courtesy of Andy Loves Records.
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