Dirty Honey with special guest The Amazons filled the Dixie Roadhouse in Cape Coral Friday night, January 24, 2020. The Dixie Roadhouse is a country style bar with a modern feel. This isn’t one of those dives out of the movies—the types you see with chicken wire blocking the stage from errant bottles thrown by rowdy drunks—the space is modern and charming with purple lighting and flickering chandeliers throughout, and the echoes of classic Americana hung in eclectic fashion on every wall. Those in attendance were treated to seeing Dirty Honey up close and personal for quite possibly the last time as they head to larger venues as they gain popularity. Mark and Matthew Horan of MarkHoran.Pictures, LLC went on a road trip to Cape Coral in Southwest Florida to catch the beginning of “The Rolling 7’s Tour.”
The Amazons took the stage at 8pm to a half-filled room. Lead singer, Matt Thomson, appeared, dressed in an ostentatious suit that seemed to be something borrowed from the closet of David Bowie. Stitched with rhinestones that caught the stage lights, the jacket and pants were covered in stars and a skull with a snake weaving out from one eye on each breast pocket. The Amazon’s drum kit inexplicitly stated “Floss is Boss” to the crowd. Their music is lively and entertaining, sounding both new and familiar at once, and singer Matt Thomson has an impressive range and falsetto to boot. The British band is touring the United States in support of their second album, “Future Dust”, which was released in May 2019. Their first release, “The Amazons”, released in 2017 charted to #8 in the UK.
Band:
Matt Thomson: Lead Vocals – Guitar
Chris Alderton: Guitars
Elliot Biggs: Bass
Joe Emmett: Drums
Setlist:
- Fuzzy Tree
- Mother
- 25
- Stay With Me
- In My Mind
- Doubt It / In My Time of Dying (Blind Willie Johnson cover)
- Junk Food Forever
- Black Magic
Dirty Honey came on stage to an eager crowd at about 9:15pm. They started right in with the hard hitting lead guitar of John Notto and the opening riffs of “Scars.” Notto classifies Dirty Honey’s sound as “New Fashioned Rock ‘n’ Roll.” To me it sounds like the Rock N’Roll I grew up on and I’m thankful it’s back.
Marc LaBelle’s vocals and stage persona are what a rock n’ roll front man is all about. Wearing his signature top hat and flashing his mischievous grin, he is instantly a fan favorite as he uses the entire stage belting out lyrics in an almost Robert Plant/Axl Rose fashion. But, his voice and range are truly his own.
The crowd can tell that these guys love playing with each other. The energy they give off is almost something tangible that spreads out from the stage and into the crowd. They moved from the first song directly into “Break You” second, and then to “Fire Away”, third. This was followed by the rest of the band taking a short break while Corey Coverstone showed off his impressive skills on the drums, playing a complex solo that went on for several minutes. The music continued and the energy kept itself heightened to that “jam band” level. The band is here to have fun, and you are too. This is how rock n’roll is meant to be. By the end of their set, each band member will take a turn between songs showing off the depth of their skill with a solo. Each time, the crowd cheers them on and the sheer talent of each player is absolutely indisputable.
In 2019, the band toured as the opening band for The Who, Guns N’ Roses, Skillet and Alter Bridge. After storming to number one on Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in 2019 with “When I’m Gone”, making Dirty Honey the first unsigned band ever topping the charts, Dirty Honey is back in 2020 with great momentum. Things have changed since then and in 2020 they are headlining their own tour, the “Rolling 7’s” tour.
The rhythm section of bass player Justin Smolian and Corey Coverstone on drums round out this hard hitting band that was destined for #1 right out of the gate. It has been just over four months since I have seen and reviewed Dirty Honey. They were billed as the opening band then on their way to stardom. It has been 30 years since I have heard and seen any band this good. They reminded me instantly of a cross between The Black Crowes and Guns N’ Roses with a little stage presence of Aerosmith. Get out and support this band and rock n roll’s bright future and you will be glad you did.
Band:
Marc LaBelle: Lead Vocals
John Notto: Guitars
Justin Smolian: Bass
Corey Coverstone: Drums
Setlist:
- Scars
- Break You
- Fire Away
- The Wire
- Heartbreaker
- Drum Solo
- Down the Road
- Don’t Drink the Water
- Last Child (Aerosmith cover)
- Guitar solo
- When I’m Gone
- Bass solo / Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin cover)
- Rolling 7s
Photographer and Editor/Founder of AllMusicMagazine.com. My love of live music has taken me to incredible experiences with the top bands of all time in stadium shows to the smallest venues with equally inspiring musicians. Using the medium of photography and my publication, these memories will last forever.
