Live Review

Black Honey and King No-One bring a spooktactuar show to our Halloween party Night of the Living Dork

Here's a question for you, Dear Reader. What do you get when you cross the spookiest time of year, incredible bands packing a tiny venue, enough decorations to make the local Big Shop have to re-order their seasonal stock and the decapitated head of the night's headliners? Yes, you've got it right in one - it's Night Of The Living Dork! A special night celebrating all things Halloween headlined by former Dork cover stars and Friends Of The Magazine Black Honey - there are no half-measures and all the hits for the sort of night that will live long in the memory.

Words:Jamie Muir

Photos:Indy Brewer

It's set from the moment openers King No-One take to the stage to kickstart a night that even Dracula himself would be flinging his cloak around to get into. Blending an anthemic heart with that unspoken magic that comes when a band puts everything they have into a live setting, it's a blistering set that shows just how widescreen their ambition truly is. Taking time to tell stories, dive around the room and pull the sold-out crowd in, it's a statement of intent. Latest single 'Dead Hotel' captures that promise perfectly, a swaggering firecracker that revels in the darkness by making it bold and bright. It's one of many highlights from a band whose potential goes far beyond these walls - blending the raw and real with something much bigger.

Since the very beginning, Black Honey have pointed to something special. Whether it's the feverish world they've created around them, the ridiculous ratio of bangers or that show-stopping presence - they're a band whose every move is always a twist on what's come before. It's why tonight's show, a one-off headline turn within Colours Hoxton's intimate walls, is a must. Fans queue around the block to get in, and from the moment they take the stage, it's an unstoppable ride. Most importantly, though, it's embracing the here and now. After revealing 'Out Of My Mind' and 'Charlie Bronson', Act 3 of the Black Honey story is one filled with some of their most direct and emphatic anthems to date. Complete with Izzy's decapitated head mould staring out to the filled-to-the-brim room (before making its way around it), tonight Black Honey celebrate the past and look ahead in equal measure. Brand new cuts like 'Up Against It', 'Heavy' and the whipping 'OK' are full of hunger and earn immediate adoration. Immediately feeling at ease, a Black Honey show is an invitation to shed any fears or worries and dive into that indescribable feeling that comes with watching a band tear apart a stage.

They perfectly complement hits like 'All My Pride', 'Beaches', 'I Like The Way You Die' and 'Corinne' - bouncing off one another for a night of celebration. A band that continue to grow and grow, deeply connected to those around them and searing with determination - Black Honey serve up mosh pits, fans cramming to get a view and more. That's what we call 'pumpkin incredible' (Sorry - Ed).