a night out with.... BLOXX
We caught Bloxx live in Leeds, their first time on the road since the pandemic started after several tour reschedules were made, and managed to chat to vocalist Fee Booth about the experience, too.
Being a female-fronted band in the music industry, it’s almost inevitable that this would be a key factor in many people’s opinions of Bloxx. “It’ll be a thing for many years to come, there’s still a stigma,” Booth explains, though her positive attitude to all the adversity she faces is inspirational. “I don’t take shit off anyone. Agents, promoters. We need more female people in the industry and more people to look up to.”
Kicking off the night was someone you should definitely look up to, Emma McGrath, who warmed up the excited audience with her mellow tunes. Booth then made an appearance towards the end of the set, joining her with her bass guitar.
Next up was The Rills, truly living up to their reputation and understandable TikTok fame. Their newest song, ‘Skint Eastwood’, stuck out as an audience favourite and gave off similar vibes as alt rock band, The Blinders.
While being unable to tour for the past year and a half, Booth explains that the band had almost “forgotten how to play music” but they were excited to get back into it. Easing in with a series of festivals, Bloxx show that music is something that comes naturally to them as they grace the stage in Brudenell Social Club in Leeds.
Entering the stage to the signature tune of Spongebob Squarepants, Booth announced to the crowd that this was the first gig she was playing sober. Understandably this was a very big moment for her and the rest of the band who have been touring since 2016.
Having written their Pop Culture Radio EP over the phone with Rick Turvey during Lockdown, Bloxx showcase their ability to capture their audience through the carefree catharsis that the EP speaks to lyrically. Booth shares that their headline show at Heaven in London will be their biggest London show to date, which she dubs “kinda weird” due to the venue’s capacity.
Towards the end of the night, Emma McGrath resurfaced onto the stage with an acoustic guitar and played ‘What You Needed’ while Booth sang beautifully. It was an emotional high as the crowd sang along to the song about a failing relationship, many tearing up.
The band reentered and brought the energy back with the songs that followed. After a changeup of the organised set, guitarist Tazz became confused and joked with the audience and band before going into the next song. He came into the audience and played a wicked guitar solo with his instrument behind his head. It was truly a sight to behold.
‘Everything I Ever Learned’ topped the night off. It was an incredible end to such an emotional show and it was a privilege to be a member of the audience that night.