Meet Hunny Buzz: Sparky indie kids on the up

Hunny Buzz have that classic indie spark: catchy, buoyant and a little scrappy, guitars dancing and melodies crammed with hooks. Vocalist Lyd Read has a touch of Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell, unquestionable in the lead role up front.

Just announced for this year’s Isle of Wight festival and currently on their first EU tour, supporting Hannah Wicklund, Hunny Buzz are on the up. Their debut EP Welcome to Our Garden follows a string of heavy-hitting singles.

Frontwoman Lyd and guitarist Rowan squeezed in a call the day before their first tour date, cooking pasta as we spoke.

We started by discussing the tour. The reality of its intense itinerary – five countries and 13 shows in just 17 days – seems to be sinking in, and they’ve left booking hotel rooms a little bit late.

“We’d been waiting for some payments to come through so we didn’t end up having to live in the van,” Rowan joked. “Our 1982 VW is great for little trips to Cornwall, but I don’t know if it would survive the journey to Europe.”

Their drummer – a good friend – recently announced he’s decided to take a step back from the band, but: “We’ve found a new drummer, and he’s really great,” said Lyd. “Tour is all about being comfortable with who you’re with.”

“You get to know your band mates on a super personal level when you’re doing stuff like this,” Rowan added. So, trial by fire for the new guy, it seems.

Of all the shows, they’re particularly looking forward to the hometown gig at Strange Brew on June 4. “It’ll give us such a boost before we have to go off on a ferry [to Germany],” said Rowan. “We’ll be seven or eight shows in by then, so it’ll be nice to have a few nights at home as well.”

The band formed in Bristol, meeting at university three years ago and going full throttle ever since. Welcome to Our Garden, released on May 2, is a culmination of that journey so far – a collection of new and old tracks lovingly pressed onto vinyl and adorned with photos of the band as kids.

“To have the physical thing in front of you – it doesn’t feel real”, Rowan told me.

Lead single Palpitations is that special mix of meaning and listenability, lyrics that delve into Lyd’s struggle with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and its impact on her life, wrapped up in toe-tapping guitar indie.

“It’s quite a personal one for me,” Lyd explained. “OCD is something I still struggle with, but it’s good to feel like we can spread some awareness.”

The music video is a frantic affair, powerful imagery placed between shots that display the band’s obvious friendship. “My mum hates the blood scene,” laughs Lyd, “but the whole video represents the feeling of going through a panic attack.”

And it’s very well done, the visuals making me hear the song afresh. Eye-opening and gut wrenching without compromising on the indie danceability of it all.

The band are on a roll. They tell me new music is already in the works that’s rockier, heavier. “It feels like now is really the time to strike,” says Rowan.

If you need a new indie fix in time for summer, Hunny Buzz have got what you need. Dive into Welcome to Our Garden, starting with jangly cloud-buster Not Your Place.

All photos: Rufus Barrow Jones

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• Review: Dot to Dot – ‘Post-punk in all its myriad forms’
• Vieux Farka Touré, Bristol Beacon – ‘Sprawling instrumental brilliance’

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