Hunny Buzz | Last One Home | Laura Jazmyn
The Louisiana, Bristol
Tuesday 6th June 2023
Photography by George Ward
After a long sunny day, HUNNY BUZZ at The Louisiana, Bristol provided the perfect summery indie pop soundtrack
With the sun shining bright, you’d think heading up the stairs of The Louisiana into their pitch-black space would be the last thing on my mind and, I admit, I had my doubts too. The only thing drawing me in was the promise of a night of indie-pop music from three local bands. Luckily, they didn’t disappoint.
The night kicked off with Laura Jazmyn, whose jazzy vocals fit the mood perfectly. As her voice soared above the crowd, her band was tight, her lyrics personal and her positivity infectious. Last One Home brought a heavier sound to the night, blasting their pop rock through the tiny room. They would fit right into the 2000’s pop-punk scene and they brought up the energy for the headliners.
HUNNY BUZZ were everything as buzzy as their name suggested and their growing reputation in Bristol made a lot of sense. Their sound is fresh but incredibly listenable, combining different flavours of indie pop into a summery joy of a band. Never has a band name sounded so similar to its sound.
The band opened with the brilliant ‘Girlfriend In The Band’. This track, although only a few months old, already sounds like a classic in the indie-pop genre. The lyrics, a desperate plea to be remembered and noticed, not simply reduced to being “the girlfriend in the band” are delivered with such sincerity by Lydia Read. The track popped off live, forcing the line “I just want to be the bandmate of your dreams, oh pretty please” to buzz around my head all week.
HUNNY BUZZ continued their winning streak, playing their other two singles ‘Love Me Like You Used To’ and ‘Short Black Skirt’. Given their small discography, the band had an impressive setlist of new material, playing through the tracks like they’d had them up their sleeve for years. Maybe they had. Every member brought something to their live show, from Rowan Barfoot’s slick but understated guitar solos to Billy Pedrick’s tight drumming and Ewan Base’s poppy basslines. A personal highlight was Ewan lovingly shouting out his parents who had come to watch before launching into the crowd to shred his bass.
Though their set had naturally reached its conclusion, the audience weren’t content with leaving. After one encore, the band really seemed like they had no idea what to do next and so, asking the audience for a request, HUNNY BUZZ launched into a somehow even more upbeat version of ‘Girlfriend In The Band’ , closing the night as they started.
In the large pool of talented Bristol bands, don’t let HUNNY BUZZ fly out of your reach. If their new material sounds half as good as it did in The Louisiana, you’re in for a real treat this summer.
Listen to ‘Love Me Like You Used To’ here:
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