On a night where three upcoming indie rock bands were playing different rooms at the same venue (Sea Girls taking over the main Academy stage whilst Red Rum Club were downstairs in the Club Academy), I was lucky enough to watch a show long in the making by West London quartet Bloxx. After releasing their debut album, Lie Out Loud, in August 2020 during the midst of the pandemic, they added another EP, Pop Culture Radio, to their roster a year later. There was plenty of reflection on the agitating year-long postponement of their tour, but it made their performance even sweeter to savour.
First up on the bill was Emma McGrath, fresh off featuring on this summer’s Love Island soundtrack. She delighted the early comers from the start, with a short set full of delicate, deep vocals, delicious harmonies and great interactions between guitar, keys and drums. Throughout her set she entertained the crowd not just musically, but by getting them involved in asking for dinner recommendations around the venue (and providing updates on this after some tracks). The standout tracks, for me, were ‘Fall With You’, a punchy indie-pop ballad, which would be perfect for an early slot at a summer festival, and the anthemic ‘Paradise’, a lush track provided with some intriguing tension through crashing drums. Bloxx lead singer Fee even joined to play bass on Emma’s final song, causing a little tech mishap, but delivering a great set closer, the unreleased track ‘Honey’.
After a short break, it was time for something completely different: garage-rock trio and TikTok viral sensations The Rills. Having signed with Nice Swan Records at the start of the month and near to selling out a hometown show at the Engine Shed in Lincoln in December, their set flew by with sardonic, witty lyrics, heavy distortion and a general riotous presence on stage. Their new tracks, ‘World Leader’, ‘Do Differently’ and, the most impressive, ‘Skint Eastwood’ (coming out on next week), show a true development from their 2017 debut single, ‘Pyro’; after all, the band’s lineup has shifted from a quartet to a duo – of lead singer Mitch and bassist Callum, and then to a trio through the addition of drummer, Mason. In an interview with Clout, Mitch noted the definite influence of post-punk groups such as IDLES on their sound, and that is definitely present here – the social commentaries, especially in ‘The Angler’, a definite riff on toxic masculinity. After streaming to over 24,000 people on Twitch and selling out a London and Amsterdam date, it won’t be long until the Rills are packing out venues themselves across the country.
After such accomplished performances by their two support acts, Bloxx certainly had to achieve a high standard in their headline slot. I needn’t have worried. Starting with the title track off their debut album, ‘Lie Out Loud’, the foursome amped up the distortion and delivered a far rockier performance than they appear on record. It was anthem after anthem; ‘Too Good’, ‘Thinking About Yourself’ and ‘Swimming’ appearing in quick succession, with Fee seemingly out of breath after every track, such is the energy the band are putting into the performance, her vocals inviting everyone to sing along. She had appeared on stage wearing her usual beanie, but this was soon ditched as she embraced the sweaty-haired nature of the room. Then, after four tracks in a row from their debut LP, they delight the crowd with an oldie, ‘Coke’ (all the way back from 2017); the lyrics still hit hard now, reflecting on the realities of drug use and how addictive a relationship can form, “waking up together on a Sunday morning”.
There’s intense interaction between the crowd and the band throughout, especially those right at the front. Moshpits, though initially small, form and then envelop the entire front section of the venue. ‘Off My Mind’, potentially my favourite Bloxx track, caused all to bounce in unison and even provide exquisite assistance in the high parts of the chorus, as Fee pleaded for! This continues through the brilliant ‘5,000 Miles’; it’s evident that Bloxx really think about the live aspect of their tracks, as pretty much every single has choruses with which both long-time fans and curious attendees can get involved.
Fee then takes time to introduce the meaning of the next track, the title track off their new EP, ‘Pop Culture Radio’; she clarifies how it plays on this dominating LA culture of the Kardashians, west coast bling and other social media obsessions making you think you want things you don’t; this message is packaged into an ironic observation on a potential love interest, a great pop-punk take on the superfluous personalities heralded across online dating apps. As the set continues, the technical skill of all the band members are shown; during ‘Headspace’, another raging pop-punk banger with flashes of Paramore and The Wombats, guitarist Taz Sidhu demonstrates true rock spirit by playing behind his head; the drums (Joe Kinton) and bass (Paul Raubišķis), meanwhile, are faultless throughout in their intensity and rhythm, providing Fee the launchpad she needs to deliver an amazing lead singer showcase.
Then, it’s time for a step back. As the rest of the band momentarily leave the stage, Fee invites Emma McGrath (her girlfriend), up on stage to accompany an acoustic version of folky track ‘What You Needed’. Adamant not to lose her voice despite the demands on her vocal chords from the prior night in Leeds, she pushes through and delivers a mesmerising and memorable performance, McGrath assisting with the gentle, then spiky, guitar chords; it’s inspiring how Fee honestly laughs off getting words and entries wrong, as she’s clearly putting a lot of emotion into this track. The more relaxed approach continues as Emma departs and the rest of the band come back, with the laid back track ‘Changes’; then, during ‘Coming Up Short’, I can’t tell that Fee’s struggling with her vocals at all, and she delights by showing off the full extent of her sultry voice, improvising with oscillating vibrato and almost reaching a Karen O level of intensity.
The set concludes with Fee insisting that the band will improve in their managing of one and a half-hour long sets; though, for a group that’s only done this once prior the previous night, I was greatly impressed. As the set ended with ‘Everything I’ve Ever Learned’ (with Siudhu again playing behind his back), you can see how much the lyrics matter to Fee’s personal philosophy – that, we’ve all made horrendous mistakes, but you can fix things and make yourself a better person. You can see the emotion in her facial expression and even hear it in the grittiness of her vocals.
After yelling ‘thank you Manchester’ to the crowd and receiving rapturous and deserved applause, the band quickly ran off stage towards the merch desk, eager to take an opportunity to meet their fans face-to-face after so long. It’s perhaps cruel that the pandemic coincided with Bloxx’s record release, leaving them a year out of sync from their normal touring cycle; but, thanks to the grit, determination and great musical ability they demonstrated tonight, I’m sure they’ll be back on track soon enough, selling out venues across the country.
Bloxx’s UK tour continues on 24th October at Stereo, Glasgow, before dates in Edinburgh, Nottingham, Bristol, Southampton, Oxford and London.
Words by Matthew Prudham
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