The Hondas

Anyone who sat down to write a list of rock n roll songs about cross dressing would find themselves tallying some impressive tunes; ‘Lola’ by the Kinks, ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ by Lou Reed and ‘Get Back’ by the Beatles, to name just a few. In case you couldn’t tell by the title, ‘I am a Homosexual’, the single launched by the Hondas at the Grace Darling Hotel, slots nicely into that list.

But while the former tracks explore their topics in a fairly opaque way (Well I’m not the world’s most physical guy/but when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine), the Hondas tend to just come right out and say it. From the moment that lead singer Taka Honda, kitted out in drag like the rest of the band, had bashed out the opening line ‘I am a woman/but I was born as a man,’ you well and truly got the point. But that pretty much sums up the experience of seeing the Hondas live; light on subtlety but heavy on fun.

While at least one member of first support Passport for Amy is too young to legally buy a drink at the Grace, they would have to be close to the tightest high school band in the 3000 postcode. Like most relatively new acts, they mirror their influences pretty closely; the clipped vocals, sharp drumming and angular guitars are all heavily reminiscent of Oxford lads the Foals. But their songs show strong songwriting potential, and they’re playing The Boroughs next month with the likes of the New York Dolls, so it’s well worth keeping an eye out for these guys.

As their name might suggest, second support Wilderbeast were more rock ‘n’ roll than indie pop. The four-piece played a riff-oriented set that featured some great bass lines and excellent guitar work. The set was nicely varied, drawing variously from bluesy influences as well as some heavier, Queens of the Stone Age-y vibes. And, like all good rock bands, they know the benefits of a good jam, but never dragged it out to the point that it was indulgent.

First things first: the Hondas look damn good in dresses. So good, in fact, that my companion confessed to being ‘seriously confused’ by the sight of Taka Honda in a little black dress and fishnet stockings. But behind the frocks is a fair bit of musical nous; the boys are all regulars of the Melbourne music scene, and Taka is perhaps better known as the perpetually smiling dude behind the Little Red drum kit.

You’d expect them to be able to write a song, and they certainly can; though, admittedly, perhaps not the most original or innovative songs in the world. The songs they played from their upcoming record From Tokyo To Melbourne Town featured catchy hooks and clever lyrics, but relied fairly heavily on a tried and tested formula. But the Hondas manage to take the uncomplicated nature of their songs and turn it into a strength, through a tight performance and no small amount of showmanship. By the time that Taka announces the last song with characteristically excessive enthusiasm, no one has heard anything musically groundbreaking, but everyone is smiling- and for a freezing Friday night in Melbourne, that’s about enough.

– Annika Holden

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