London band starts North American tour in Boston, somehow not jetlagged
BOSTON — Alt-pop London band HONNE took the stage at Citizens House of Blues on Sunday night, igniting the crowd with the electric energy of their newly released 16-track album, OUCH. Known for their unique blend of soulful vocals and electronic beats, HONNE—originally a London-based duo consisting of Andy Clutterbuck and James Hatcher—has expanded into a full ensemble for their live performances. Boston marked the first stop on this leg of their tour, and despite battling jet lag, the band was more energized than I was.
Thirty minutes before showtime, the venue buzzed with anticipation. Backstage, the band was caught up in the rush of last-minute preparations, hunting down a blue pair of matching shoes and fine-tuning the set details. The band practiced perfecting their notes in the green room to ensure everything was ready. High-fives were being distributed, and the nerves were kicking before showtime. The stage setup captured the playful spirit of OUCH, complete with a giant inflatable cartoon character and vibrant cut-out clouds of blue and red. This design reflected the album’s blend of light-heartedness and deep emotional themes.
Concert photography feels a bit like learning how to ride a bike. At first, it’s about getting my bearings: adjusting angles, double-checking camera settings, clearing the SD card, and ensuring my batteries are charged—essentially running through my mental checklist. Once the crowd starts jostling, I settle in, experiment, and realize it’s okay to get creative. So, I might even try a daring sideways shot. At one point, I found myself onstage, attempting to capture raw, quirky angles of HONNE while tripping over a cord and trying to play it cool. Learning to blend in at 5’9” isn’t easy, but I’m getting there.
HONNE’s performance was electric. They concluded with one of their most popular songs, “Day 1” while James standing on the edge of the barrier, leaning into the crowd allowing a fan to finish “You’ll always be my day 1, day 1…” lyric into the microphone. Take a look at how I captured their music through my lens.
This article was produced for HorizonMass, the independent, student-driven, news outlet of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, and is syndicated by BINJ’s MassWire news service.
