Dirty Honey's rehabilitation of 70s rock has not gone unnoticed by devotees to the genre. Jake Longhurst made their way down to Bodega to see what the latest guitar heroes had to offer.
The Bodega was packed to the rafters, full of eager onlookers who had snagged a ticket to this date of Dirty Honey’s sold out UK tour. With Himalayas in support, the line-up looked good and the punters were prepared - albeit the punters were much older than I tend to see at my gigs, with the LA rockers attracting a far older crowd than a band of their age would tend to. With their sultry, sleazy, sunny LA rock sound that has been ripped straight out of the 70’s, it’s clear to see why. If you could fuse the sounds of Led Zeppelin, Motley Crue, and Gun ‘N Roses, with AM era Alex Turner also appearing, then you’d have a pretty accurate description of the sort of sound this band can create.
As Himalayas took to the stage, the crowd quietened down in expectation. The Welsh quartet came in swinging, and they were full of energy and fun. They seemed a little too modern to really get this crowd going which was a serious shame, but their combination of Royal Blood-esque guitar tone and riffs with songwriting and singing reminiscent of Nothing But Thieves was absolutely excellent and is sure to turn heads and catch ears across the country. I’d never heard the band beforehand, however I’ve already added From Hell To Here to my playlist and will be grabbing a couple other songs for more listening too.
After the excellent set from the Welsh rockers, the crowd collectively waltzed over towards the bar and the merch desk, with a half hour gap between the finale for Himalayas and the headliners. As Dirty Honey then finally made their way onto the Bodega stage, everybody upped the noise considerably in a warm welcome for the Californians. The 70’s vibe was instantly visible, from the sunburst Les Paul to the half buttoned and wonderfully patterned shirts, and a guitarist who looked like young Ozzy Osbourne (admittedly I think this may also be more of a happy coincidence)! Starting off their rocking and rolling show the band launched into Gypsy, eliciting a chorus of middle-aged yells and singing that didn’t die down till post-set. The band didn’t let one single iota of energy go wasted, with a setlist full of bangers - Heartbreaker was an early favourite, and Scars went down a treat with the entire room.
"Dirty Honey showed that the spirit of rock and roll is not only alive, but as hearty and healthy as it has ever been."
To entrench themselves even more firmly into the 70’s, the band did a cover of Aerosmith’s Last Child, that was followed quite closely by arguably the best song of the night. Down The Road is a bonafide classic already, a song about heartbreak that can unite disparate individuals into a collective who all feel exactly the same way for the duration of the entire piece. Then, after another excellent song by the name of Ride On the band went for one final cover by the inimitable Prince. Whilst Let’s Go Crazy is from 1984, it still encapsulates the band’s sound and aesthetic phenomenally, and was a real hit.
The last four songs of the night were all wonderful, firstly with a tale of the ups and downs of living in the Golden State called California Dreamin' that was first released in 2021 as a single ahead of the group’s debut album. Next up was another brilliant track about heartbreak Another Last Time, serving another enormous singalong to elevate the atmosphere. Frontman Marc clambered atop the speakers at the front of the stage to orchestrate a crowd-led chorus, before a wonderful solo (amongst many wonderful solos) from John (young Ozzy) capped off the track. Next up was my favourite song by Dirty Honey, the first ever single by an unsigned band to top the Billboard Mainstream Rock list, When I’m Gone. This obviously caused hoots and screams in equal measure, all of pleasure, as the band ripped through a great version of the song. Finally, they said their thank you’s and goodbyes before the closer of the evening in the form of Rolling 7’s, a song about gambling and lust. What better way to finish an evening of 70’s rock than that?
Dirty Honey showed that the spirit of rock and roll is not only alive, but as hearty and healthy as it has ever been. If you or a loved one start to fall in love with the band, I will claim no responsibility and will not be remotely surprised.
Edited by: Ali Glen
Photos courtesy of Dirty Honey's Instagram. Videos courtesy of Dirty Honey's YouTube.
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