Black Honey, Norwich Arts Centre

Black Honey’s moment in the spotlight has been a long time coming. The ever-increasing buzz from a three-year drip feed of singles, EPs, and gigs reached boiling point with the drop of the Brighton bunch’s self-titled album back in September, and its adjoining tour is the perfect chance to show it off in its full glory. Night four finds the ‘Honeys glammed-up and taking no prisoners at a packed-out Norwich Arts Centre. Safe to say, it’s a party from start to finish.

Izzy B Phillips has always had a flair for the dramatic. Not just chief songwriter but also visual director for the band, it’s her tastemaking that has been such a vital ingredient in building the grunge-meets-glam identity that makes Black Honey so uniquely attractive. As well as the enormous merch display in the bar which more closely resembles a designer fashion pop-up shop, Iz’s vision tonight is most obvious from the huge neon rigs that adorn the back of the stage: two bright, staring eyes that later transform into the licking lips as seen in the rest of the album artwork. The auditorium dims and they come to life.

There are too many highlights to mention. Segueing between newbies and the classics, the set is a pure and unrelenting disco extravaganza. Back to back, ‘I Only Hurt the Ones I Love’ and ‘Madonna’ foreshadow the explosive, vibrant pop-rock and crisp, vintage halves of the Black Honey experience.