Features Upbringing: Honeyblood

In Upbringing, we ask some of our favourite bands to recall their formative moments. It can be anything from a life-changing gig to a packet of crisps - doesn’t matter. Conversations span from before the formation of a group right up to the point where they are today.

It’s no surprise to learn that Honeyblood were raised on a diet of fizzing rock ’n roll and the odd Blur back-catalogue. All of this feeds into their colossal sound, encapsulated in a debut album due for release via FatCat Records this July. Still, there’s the odd aspect of their childhood that might seem out of the ordinary, like Stina’s obsession with All Saints or the fact that neither of them have ever gone by the book when it comes to music lessons.



What’s the first gig you can ever remember going to? Describe the experience.
Stina: I think the first ever rock show that I ever went to was Foo Fighters. I was 14. I went with a girl who played in my first band at school. I remember being drenched in sweat. It was amazing.
Shona: I absolutely loved Drive Thru Records growing up, and remember going to a ridiculous amount of shows of bands that were on the label. I can’t remember which one was first, but I loved them all.

Can you remember the first song you ever developed an obsession over?
Stina: All Saints - ‘Pure Shores’. They were my favourite girl group ‘cause they looked like they could climb trees in their combats.
Shona: Probably some Destiny’s Child song. I had a strange obsession with them until my sister introduced me to a Biffy Clyro album and R&B went out the window for rock.



As a band so far, what’s the best and worst show you’ve ever played?
Shona: probably the Webster Hall show in New York we played recently with We Were Promised Jetpacks. Still a bit crazy that we did that.
Stina: And worst show? We played a show once in a community hall where they kept all the big lights on and they forgot to mic up the guitar amp. It turned out to be pretty funny in the end.

What was your favourite film growing up as a kid?
Stina: I loved anything Disney. And Matilda.
Shona: At one point I fell in love with The Goonies.

What’s the best piece of advice anyone’s ever given you?
Stina: Don’t get singing lessons. When I started writing songs and performing them I felt I needed to ‘learn how to sing properly’ but my music teachers at school told me not to. Sometimes being ‘taught’ squashes the uniqueness out of something, so I never did.
Shona: Someone once told me to just drum hard and powerful. To a certain extent that’s still how I play - it doesn’t matter how fancy your playing is as long as the song has a good strong powerful beat.

If you could be any band from the past two decades, who would you be and why?
Stina: Blur. They have some pretty good songs.
Shona: The Shins. Their music is just so nice.

If there’s anything you could tell the person you were when you started writing music, what would it be?
Stina: Record everything! I’d love to hear some of the first songs I ever wrote.
Shona : I agree with Stina. When you find a song that you’ve recording like ten years ago, it can be the best thing ever.

Honeyblood’s self-titled debut album is out 14th July via FatCat.