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“I have the sort of memory where someone could walk past me wearing a perfume an old friend wore in school, and I’m able to name it. When I meet fans after gigs, I’ll comment on their perfume – they’ll be like, ‘How did you know?’
“I think certain smells regulate my emotions – for example, if I smell
my teddy bear’s head when I’m anxious, it feels like home.”
Black Honey formed in 2014 and have gone on to sell out headline tours and play at some of the world’s greatest music festivals,
including Glastonbury. Here Phillips talks us through some of her
most meaningful memories from the past eight years, and the fragrances that transport her back to those incredible moments.
‘I
SCENTS & SENSIBILITY
...WITH
The Black Honey frontwoman tells Sophie Goddard about chaos and serenity in Japan, her first post-pandemic gig, and why she wears men’s cologne
Still life photography: Luke Kirwan. Portrait photography: Frederick Wilkinson. Set design: Carolina Mizrahi.
have always been very into scent,” says Black Honey
frontwoman Izzy Bee Phillips, who is enthusiastically talking
us through her Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle collection.
If I smell my teddy bear’s head when I’m anxious, it feels like home
The power of perfume
Malle believes “the right scent is not only pleasurable but a type of armour”
“I like to think of fragrance as genderless – I often wear men’s cologne rather than a women’s perfume. This one would suit anyone, but for me it’s a real night-time scent – that lovely sunset golden-hour time, heading into the night and wondering where it could take you.
“It reminds me of 2017; we were on tour in Paris with Royal Blood
and had done a huge stadium show. We went back to their hotel afterwards, which had this gorgeous monochrome tiled floor. It was low-lit and luxurious (in my mind, it felt gently sun-dappled, though
it was probably dark by then). It brings to mind gin in a martini glass, sitting on a roof terrace or balcony and soaking up that warm Parisian summer air.
“My drummer always says, ‘The night is but young,’ and that’s what
I think of when I smell French Lover – that fresh feeling of getting dressed straight after a shower, and enjoying a drink. It was a really happy time for me – I’d gone from writing songs in my bedroom to suddenly being in Paris, playing to thousands. I felt almost invincible.”
“
IZZY BEE PHILLIPS
the golden hour
French Lover
the calm amid
the chaos
Vetiver Extraordinaire
an ode to London
“The warm, woody depth to this fragrance reminds me of late nights, whisky and open fire pits. It takes me back to a party we had after our London headline show at the nightclub Heaven last year, and that first sip of espresso martini. It was our first tour back since the pandemic and I’m not sure any of us believed it was ever actually going to happen. But the tour was sold out and I can still remember that excited high coming off stage – mixed with slight exhaustion.
“We hosted an after-party at Karma Sanctum, a proper rock’n’roll hotel in Soho, and being back in London with friends again felt so precious.
I was stoked to be walking through London, heels clacking on the pavement. I remember everyone was giving me cards and gifts to celebrate – I even got a round of applause when I walked in.
“I can’t think of that night without mentioning Denise, the china dog we bought in an antiques shop in Portsmouth on our first day of touring. She came on tour – in dressing rooms, even on stage – and we’ve got hundreds of photos of her with everyone that night. She’s now happily stowed at my place in Dalston, east London – with not
a mark on her, incredibly.”
This scent takes me back to a party we had after a headline show – and
that first sip of espresso martini
“
“In 2016, we travelled to Japan to play Summer Sonic festival and this earthy scent takes me back to when we had time off to explore. We visited the Imperial Palace East Gardens in Tokyo early in the morning after a show in Harajuku the previous night. We’d just come from South Korea, where it was really hectic – lots of planes, taxis, crowd surfing – and I remember feeling really excited because bands such
as Radiohead and Weezer were playing at Summer Sonic, too.
“I remember floor-to-sky concrete, skyscrapers, buildings and bars, then stepping through these beautiful archways and the view opening up into an Eden-like garden on the edge of a huge bamboo forest. It was so perfect it almost felt fake.
“There were cicadas all around us making this loud whirring noise. This perfume makes me think of the crazy contrast between the loud city and this complete serenity – a real moment of calm in the midst
of madness. We went out for dinner afterwards, exploring the underworld of Japan through backstreet restaurants and bars, eating noodles and drinking saké and whisky. I felt like I was in a movie,
really making every second count.”
It brings back memories of sitting on a balcony and soaking up that warm Parisian summer air
This perfume makes me think of the crazy contrast between the loud city
and serenity
“
“
MUSC RAVAGEUR
(FRENCH LOVER UNRETOUCHED )
(VETIVER UNRETOUCHED)
The Black Honey frontwoman tells Sophie Goddard about chaos and serenity in Japan, her first post-pandemic gig, and why she wears men’s cologne
Still life photography: Luke Kirwan. Set design: Carolina Mizrahi. Portrait photography: Frederick Wilkinson.
To book a personalised fragrance consultation and discover your own signature scent, visit fredericmalle.co.uk
To book a personalised fragrance consultation and discover your own signature scent, visit fredericmalle.co.uk