A home-grown group, the Hornettes consist of a five-piece backing band and two bombshell lead singers who showed up in matching blue and grey candy stripe dresses. The five gentlemen got on stage first and played a few notes to give the ladies an appropriately grandiose entrance.
They proudly announced this was the first time they had ever played a larger festival but nodded to the fact that they have played quite a few shows around town and know what they’re doing when it comes to performing. They lived up to their reputation as they got down to it and launched into their set of Motown classics.
The set blended together skillful covers of mainstays of the genre such as “Heard It Through the Grapevine” and their own original compositions. Most importantly though, all the songs were played with a hefty dose of meaty, chunky funk that was the perfect complement to the increasing afternoon heat.
All the band members showed off their chops, both in terms of musical ability and ability to bust a move. The lead singers were especially good at coordinating their shimmying and shaking with the music to get an uproarious response from the crowd.
The red haired, pony-tailed saxophonist also seemed to enjoy getting down and dirty on stage, giving all he had to grooving along with the music. The group’s guitarist also chimed in for some of the vocal performances to show he could do more than just shred on the guitar.
Though their set was short, the Hornettes showed the crowd that they could do justice to the classics, while adding their own special flare to the performance. The group received a standing ovation from the midday crowd as they wrapped up the show and announced that they would be playing next week at Bluesfest as well.
While the era of the Motown classics is fading into the past, the Hornettes are here making sure it’s legacy is alive and well in the capital city.
