Honeyblood is the Scottish indie rock solo project[3] of guitarist and singer-songwriter Stina Tweeddale, originally formed as a duo in Glasgow, Scotland in 2012.[4]

Contents 1 History and formation 2 Origin of name 3 Discography 3.1 Albums 3.2 Singles 4 References History and formation

Shona McVicar from Cumbernauld (drums/vocals) and Edinburgh-born Stina Marie Claire Tweeddale met when the bands they were playing in (Partwindpartwolf and Boycotts, respectively) were playing the same concert. Tweeddale, who wanted to write and play her own music, approached McVicar about playing together. They formed Honeyblood in 2012.[5] Originally, they intended to add other band members to fill out their sound, but they were asked to play gigs as a duo. It was here they realised they "weren’t missing anything musically."[5] After just their second concert at Wide Days music conference in Edinburgh, Honeyblood drew the attention of FatCat Records, who eventually signed them.

Early on in the band’s career McVicar was forced to take a break in order to complete her Dentistry degree. During this time, replacement drummer Rah Morriss worked to sustain the band’s growing career.[6] In September 2014 McVicar left the band to pursue other endeavours and was replaced by Cat Myers.[7]

In November 2013 the band travelled to Connecticut, USA to work with producer Peter Katis on their self-titled album.[8] The album was recorded in just ten days. In the winter of 2015, Stina and Cat were joined by acclaimed producer James Dring, who had previously worked with the likes of Jamie T and Gorillaz, at London’s Fish Factory studio to work on their second album Babes Never Die. The album was released by Fat Cat records on 4 November in the UK/EU and 28 October in the US.[9]

In 2019 Honeyblood signed with Marathon Artists[10], and announced an album would be available for pre-order on 7 February.[11] Publicity only showed Tweeddale. On 7 February, they announced that their third studio album, In Plain Sight, would be released on 24 May, and released the lead single, "Third Degree". On the same day it was announced that Honeyblood will move forward as a solo project, with Myers no longer part of the band.[12][13] Honeyblood have supported several acts including Foo Fighters, Palma Violets, Sleigh Bells, Deap Vally, Courtney Barnett, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Superfood. They have played showcases for the likes of The Skinny and Vice and festivals including the Great Escape, Wide Days in Edinburgh, T in The Park and SXSW.[14][15][16] They played Belladrum in 2017, televised on BBC Alba.[17]

Speaking about the band’s lo-fi style on Thrift Shop, Paul Lester of The Guardian wrote that "The lead track, 'No Spare Key', sounds like Taylor Swift's 'We're Never Getting Back Together' performed by two Scottish goth-girls doing an impression of the Jesus and Mary Chain in a tomb, or an enervated, dejected Haim in need of a square meal."[14]

Origin of name

The name comes from a Halloween concert that Tweeddale played. She states: "Honeyblood is actually a mixture of water, honey, cornflour and red food dye." She continues: "It comes from a lazy Hallowe’en costume I once made for a gig. I swirled it round in my mouth on-stage. And then I spat it over the audience."[18]

Discography Albums Title Album details Peak chart positions SCO[19] UK[20] Honeyblood Released: 8 July 2014 Label: Fat Cat Records 47 99 Babes Never Die Released: 4 November 2016 Label: Fat Cat Records 16 50 In Plain Sight Released: 24 May 2019 Label: Marathon Artists "—" denotes album that did not chart or was not released