Wish Bus Performances From HONNE That You Might Have Missed

HONNE, the electronic soul duo comprising Andy Clutterbuck and James Hatcher, will return to the Philippines in August for a trio of shows celebrating their 10th anniversary.

Their comeback, happening from August 10 to 12 at the PICC Plenary Hall, was originally planned as a one-night stop in Manila. The event has since been expanded to three nights to cater to the high demand from fans.

Fans can expect a memorable experience as HONNE performs songs from their upcoming album HONNE – 10. The record, due for release on May 15, features re-recorded, stripped-back versions of tracks from their first two albums, “Warm on a Cold Night” and “Love Me / Love Me Not.” 

Having performed in the country a couple of times already, HONNE finds the Filipino crowd musically talented and friendly. “Every time we come, we just get such a warm feeling that comes towards us,” Andy shared in an interview with Billboard Philippines.

Ahead of their awaited Manila return, here are three Wish Bus performances from HONNE that you might have missed.

Location Unknown

One of the best things about music is that it’s a boundary-breaking art form, whether that boundary is geography or something else. Even when created from a modest abode on the other side of the world, songs can reach listeners thousands of miles away — moving people’s hearts in ways the music creators may never have even imagined.

For HONNE, “Location Unknown” is that kind of song. 

In a statement, the duo enthused how special this track is for them: “When we wrote it, there was something about it that felt bigger than us. We didn’t know what that meant at the time, but over the years we’ve watched it travel far beyond the studio and into people’s lives all over the world. Seeing how it’s soundtracked so many different chapters for listeners has been surreal.

HONNE’s Wish Bus debut in 2019 features a performance of this very track, featuring British singer-songwriter BEKA. 

They recently released a reimagined version with Indonesian sensation NIKI as part of their 10th anniversary project.

Day 1

HONNE’s Wishclusive rendition of “Day 1” is built around groovy piano melodies and slick beats. The hook — You'll always be my day one/ Day zero when I was no one — is as infectious as it can be.

Part of what makes HONNE’s music special is the duo’s ability to turn simple, deeply personal emotions into songs that resonate with listeners. And Day 1, lifted from the 2018 album “Love Me, Love Me Not,” is a manifestation of that. The track sees the narrator expressing appreciation for having found a loyal companion and how that one fateful day became a pivotal moment in their life. 

In this particular Wish Bus performance becomes even more special with guest vocals from BEKA, whose dreamy tone adds another emotional layer to the song. BEKA will also serve as a support act in the duo’s upcoming Manila shows.

HAPPY DAY

There’s a certain kind of bond that forms when artists grow together with their fans. Over the years, HONNE has let listeners in on different chapters of their lives through their music, and HAPPY DAY — alongside all the other tracks in their 2024 album “OUCH” — is one of their most personal yet.

“Time has to go by for us to figure out what we're going to write about. We always take a bit of time to, like, just live life a bit. So, it took two years to write and finish ‘OUCH.’ And during that time, James got married. I had two kids. So, there were all these sorts of other things that were going on, but it was all kind of seeping into the music as well,” Andy stated in a Roadshow interview.

In a separate interview, James revealed that the track was written from the perspective of his son: “I wrote a song about him exploring the world and seeing it through his eyes.”

Tracks like these capture the warmth and emotional resonance that have long defined HONNE’s artistry. And these are the very qualities that they will revisit as they celebrate a decade of music with their highly anticipated 10th anniversary tour.

“To mark 10 years of HONNE, we went back to the songs that started everything, recording stripped-back acoustic versions from our first two albums. Spending time with these songs again reminded us why we started HONNE in the first place, and why this music still means so much to us,” the duo said, reflecting on this anniversary project.