Sydney’s Roundhouse is buzzing tonight as the crowd waits for HONNE to take the stage. The band is riding the wave of their much-hyped fourth studio album, OUCH, which landed in early September. The UK alt-pop duo—Andy Clutterbuck and James Hatcher—have spent the past decade crafting silky, synth-drenched soundscapes, but at their core, HONNE has always been about two mates making music together.
From modest bedroom sessions in Bow, East London, to billions of streams and sold-out shows, their journey is a testament to friendship, evolution, and a knack for crafting emotionally charged bangers. HONNE’s music hits that sweet spot—introspective yet euphoric, personal yet universal.
Supporting HONNE tonight is Liang Lawrence who having grown up across eight different countries, brings a worldly, kaleidoscopic energy to her music—something that translates effortlessly into tonight’s performance. She might say she’s nervous, but there’s no sign of it in her performance—every note lands, every lyric carries. She reveals that the first song on her setlist was written for a friend who just so happens to be in the room tonight. Later, she swaps the spotlight for the shadows, stepping up as a backing vocalist for HONNE.
The stage is dwarfed by a towering, bespectacled inflatable figure, but the real scene-stealer arrives first—Lucky, the band’s ever-faithful mascot, makes a grand entrance, broom in hand, theatrically sweeping the floor before HONNE burst onto the stage. The energy in the room is pure adoration. A couple proudly flaunt their matching tattoos, while a girl in the front row waves a sign declaring that the band is the soundtrack to her life.
They tear through the setlist, every beat met with roars of approval. After ‘Good Together’ Andy Clutterbuck tells the crowd that he has become a naturalised Australian because his mum is from Australia. The crowd’s response? Immediate, unanimous: “Shoey!” The request rings out, an Aussie rite of passage demanded without hesitation. A standout for me tonight is Coming Home—the kind of song that doesn’t just fill a room but reshapes it, turns it into something softer, more intimate.
HONNE, took their name from the Japanese word 本音—“true feelings”—and tonight, there’s no holding back. The love in the room is unfiltered, uncontainable, and entirely mutual.
