Photography Reviews

Concert Review: Dirty Honey @ Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, ON 11/8/23

By Taylor Cameron / November 14, 2023

November 8th, a rainy Wednesday night in Toronto saw rock fans of all ages making their way down to The Danforth Music Hall. The merch booth was crowded with fans buying t-shirts and signed vinyl records, and others eagerly made their way to the stage, wanting to claim the perfect front row spot at the barricade.

Starting off the night was Texan native, Austin Meade. “Alright Toronto, let’s get sexy” he says into the mic as his band plays the intro to “Violation Destination”. Dancing across the middle of the stage, Meade’s energy instantly grips the attention of the audience. Country meets hard rock describes Meade’s sound, a twang in his voice and a Gibson flying V in his hands, he entertained the audience to perfection

Although only having forty-five minutes onstage, Meade and his band of talented musicians treated the set as a headlining gig, the energy bar staying high the entire time. “Happier Alone”, “Cave In” and “BLACKOUT” gripped the crowd’s attention, having the room singing along by the second chorus. Meade definitely gained new fans that night.

A half an hour passes and the lights go down. Three shadowy figures step out onto the stage as the crowd erupts into loud cheers. Justin Smolian grooves into the leading bassline, kicking off the new track, “Can’t Find The Breaks”. Running out on stage with full energy, Marc Labelle joins the rest of the band, yellow and red toned lights illuminating the stage. “Good evening, Toronto” Labelle yells into the mic, the audience already in the palm of his hand. On the road to support their latest album of the same name, Dirty Honey delivered a perfect live rendition of the new track. The crowd loved every second of it.

“We’re Dirty Honey from Los Angeles, and this next one is called California Dreamin’” Labelle announces the second song of the night, John Notto effortlessly starting off the song with a cheerful guitar intro.

The band’s energy radiates throughout the Danforth Musical Hall, the crowd singing along to every word. One of the best live rock bands of this decade, Labelle, Notto, Smolian and newcomer Jaydon Bean (drums) know how to command the stage with confidence and ease. Every fan in the building was completely captivated by the young band of true rock ‘n’ rollers. Dedicating “Heartbreaker” to the women in the house, roars of cheers were heard from the ladies attending the show. A fan favorite since its release in 2019. Curating a setlist that combined the perfect amount of new and old tracks, as well as a compelling cover of The Rolling Stones’ Honky Tonk Women and the always energetic Let’s Go Crazy by Prince, Dirty Honey’s show is always one to remember.

The stage goes dark, a spotlight illuminating Notto as his fingers dance across the fretboard of his Les Paul, playing an extended intro to “Another Last Time”, a track that had everyone singing along. Halfway through the song Labelle jumps off the stage, climbing up onto the barricade, becoming one with the audience. Taking the phones of lucky fans, he sings into the camera, taking videos to be cherished forever. Holding his microphone out to the audience, Labelle signals everyone to sing. “Another last time, another last time, one more go around and we say goodbye” is sung thunderously throughout the venue, the voices of the fans almost overpowering Labelles.

A deliciously sexy solo played by Notto and a great live rendition of “When I’m Gone” closes out the exquisite setlist. The room going dark once again, chants of the band’s name echoed off the walls. No one wanted the night to be over. Taking the stage once again, the band started off their encore with a new song, “Won’t Take Me Alive”. The band have taken their new studio tracks and rendered them perfectly for their live show. Receiving plenty of praise after each one. Closing out the night with Rolling 7’s, the audience went crazy to the oh-so-sexy rock tune.

Never disappointing, Dirty Honey have yet again rocked The Danforth Music Hall as if it was a stadium, their energy never wavering once. The band truly plays as a unit, their musicianship at the top of its game, Dirty Honey is a band you never want to miss.

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