Review: Hannah Wicklund - 'Hell In The Hallway World Tour' With Hunny Buzz - Oslo Hackney June 5th, 2024

Review: Hannah Wicklund – ‘Hell In The Hallway World Tour’ With Hunny Buzz

Oslo Hackney (June 5^th 2024)

Reviewer/Photographer: Phil Honley

Before Hannah’s captivating performance, the audience was treated to a lively set by Bristol indie pop band Hunny Buzz, comprising Lydia Read on vocals and guitar, Rowan Barfoot on guitar, Ewan Base on bass, and Billy Pedrick on drums. They were clearly enjoying themselves and their performance with great sound was having a very positive affect on the audience. I failed to check out the merch desk but feel many did and invested in the band’s recently released EP ‘Welcome To Our Garden’.

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Set List

1/ Intro

2/ Not Your Place

2/ Love Me Like You Used To

3/ Palpitations

4/ Nice Guy

5/ Maisy

6/ Blue

7/ Short Black Skirt

8/ Now I Can Get Over You

I first saw South-Carolinian Hannah Wicklund when she toured the UK in 2019 with her band at that time the Steppin Stones. Hannah formed Steppin Stones when she was just eight years old, yeah you read that right eight years old. They released three albums, the latter of which and most successful being the eponymous ‘Hannah Wicklund & The Steppin Stones‘ released in 2018 under her own record label, Strawberry Moon Records.

Although Steppin Stones was formed at age eight Hannah didn’t hit the road with them until she was sixteen. They toured extensively and had chalked off something in the region of 2,500 shows before I saw them for the first time in 2019, Hannah was then 22 years old. She has recently been awarded with some great opportunities and supported Marcus King and Greta Van Fleet.

We have had to wait five years for her latest release ‘The Prize’ (review here) which is receiving very favourable reviews. I now had the privilege of catching this incredibly talented, now Nashville based, songstress/guitarist on the last date on this short tour of the UK. This was the youngest audience I had seen for a long time and predominantly female. Hannah has a strong fan base and some loyal fans, talking to a number of them before the show I learnt that they had been to the Bristol show the night before and had previously visited the USA and seen Hannah perform in the southern states including Alabama.

Before proceeding I have to take time out for a rant. The internet is a wonderful thing and it allows us to seek much of the information we need for whatever purpose. Music venues all have their own websites but fail to use them to relay accurate show information. Many of us go to great pains to get to a show and return home safely after the show. I for one rely on public transport most of the time so it is always useful to know when the doors open, stage timings and curfew information. In my experience most venues will give you the time that the doors are scheduled to open but invariably this is wrong as was the case on this occasion. The website stated that doors were at 7pm with a curfew at 10pm, the doors opened at 7:30 and the curfew was 11pm. How long does it take to import this information accurately?…..rant over.

Hannah was welcomed to the stage with rapturous applause, dressed in a trademark, fairy-like dress and bare-foot she immediately grabbed our attention. Opening up with the tour’s namesake, ‘Hell in the Hallway‘ from new album ‘The Prize‘ followed by ‘Hide and Seek‘ which raised the tempo as this is one of the heavier numbers from the new album. In the live environment Hannah ramps it up even more.

In the five years since I saw Hannah her vocals have developed and this was highlighted when she sang ‘Witness‘. I have always been a lover of the talk box and Hannah has always included its use and did so on this number.

The set had opened with three numbers from the new album so it was time to visit the previous album with ‘Mama Said‘. Hannah is what I would call a crossover artist but she is principally drawn to the blues and this was without a doubt the blues moment to savour on the night. The album version is very radio friendly but it has now been developed into an epic blues-rock number that really brings Hannah’s guitar prowess to the fore.

An artist always proves his or her true value when they strip back and perform solo – there is no hiding place. The band depart and leave Hannah to perform ‘Shadow Boxes And Porcelain Faces’ and ‘Songbird Song‘ and the audience are respectful and keep silent. The guitar is left to one side and Hannah sits behind the vacant piano to perform the title track from the new album to perfection.

The band is welcomed back for ‘Can’t Get Enough‘ and three numbers further on arrive at the excellent rocker ‘Bomb Through The Breeze‘. The set is brought to a close with the song, as Hannah describes it, the song that started it all, ‘Strawberry Moon‘.

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