Live Review

Black Honey bring blockbuster energy to night one of Dork 100 at The 100 Club

Night one at The 100 Club is a big opener to live up to. As five consecutive nights of Dork 100 *(That’s us! – Ed)* kick into gear, the tone is set by bands whose faces first graced our pages back in issue one. While many of their contemporaries have stumbled, tonight is a celebration of the acts who’ve always had that extra something; the spark that’s kept them burning long after the hype.

Words:Jamie Muir

Photos:Patrick Gunning

Leading the charge, of course, are Black Honey - an act who’ve gone about being your favourite band in the most unmissable way possible. Always sharp, always pointed and never less than full-throttle, their sold-out 100 Club show makes it blindingly clear: Black Honey are the band you always wanted to be in. The true masters of evolution and reinvention.

Gripping and all-encompassing, it’s the only way to describe Wings of Desire. With cinematic flair and a stadium-sized presence, they roll out the opening credits in full 4D. ‘Be Here Now’ and the swooning punch of ‘Shut Up & Listen’ lay the groundwork for a set that’s utterly transfixing. That sense of euphoria, that clear creative vision, stops the crowd dead in their tracks. As James and Chloe trade vocals, the effect is dizzying – the usual chatter dissolving into rapt attention. ‘Choose A Life’ distils their whole ethos: a band in complete control, holding the respect of a room hungry for more. The music speaks for itself. A towering wall of sound builds with every beat, and Wings of Desire emerge as fearless auteurs of their own world, raw, arresting, and utterly unmissable.

Then the lights dim, and Black Honey’s full-blown motion picture kicks into frame. With bodies packed right to the venue’s edges, the night is already in their grasp, and they don’t waste a second. A blistering run of ‘All My Pride’, ‘Beaches’ and ‘I Like The Way You Die’ instantly lays down the law: this is their night. It’s a performance that feels impossibly larger than life, yet also like a direct feed into the soul of the now. They distil modern life’s chaos and catharsis into something cinematic. “It’s crazy to be here,” notes Izzy. “So much history was made under this VERY low ceiling. It’s taken us a while to get to this stage, but we’ve done it with so many of you since day one.”

What follows is a night where all cares are left at the door. All that matters is the band in front of you, and how exciting their next chapter is shaping up to be.

Like a runaway train, their set keeps accelerating. ‘Hello Today’ is whip-smart and urgent, while ‘Spinning Wheel’ acts as the perfect catalyst for every moshpit moment, building and exploding in all the right ways. Tonight marks Black Honey’s final live show before the arrival of their new album ‘Soak’, and they treat The 100 Club to a full-course preview. Imminent single ‘Shallow’ is a woozy singalong in waiting; ‘Slow Dance’ draws the room into every word; ‘Vampire in the Kitchen’ teeters between delicate acoustic flickers and full-throttle eruptions. It’s a band baring their teeth and showing their hearts, ready for what comes next.

The hypnotic ‘Psycho’ lays down a bold statement of intent, but it’s in ‘Insulin’ and ‘Dead’ where it all clicks – grungey riffs and syrupy hooks transformed into something utterly undeniable. It’s the sound of a band having fun, yes – but doing so with total clarity of purpose. A knockout punch if ever there was one.

What makes Black Honey such a perfect act to open Dork 100’s five-night takeover is what defines them at their core. A band that doesn’t just push the boundaries – they step over them, laugh in their face, and throw a disco on the other side. During ‘Heavy’ and ‘Ok’, bodies bounce like the floor might cave in, and by the time Izzy closes with ‘Corinne’, surfing the crowd, stood on someone’s shoulders, calling to the masses.

They’re not just Dork OGs: they’re the blueprint. This is their new motion picture, and it’s their best yet.