Music > Live Reviews

Foxing @ The Owl Sanctuary

02/05/16

There’s no better way to kick off a long bank holiday weekend than seeing some sweet ass music in your favourite local venue and that’s exactly what I did. On Friday evening The Owl Sanctuary held host to Blackburn’s finest Twinkle Emo band Edgarville, widely loved TTNG (This Town Needs Guns) and the mesmerising and quite possibly the friendliest band I’ve ever seen live, Foxing. It was safe to say that I and many others were more than excited.

After gawping at the displayed band merch for a solid 20 minutes there were murmurs and jolted guitar riffs coming from the upstairs venue; sound check. I grabbed myself a beer and made my way towards it. Edgarville gave an impressive performance mixing aspects of acoustic and heavy sounds yet with a sprinkle of math rock twinkle. Possessing a sound and lyrical content similar to Moose Blood, they were right up mine and everyone else’s street. Unfortunately late starting due to technical difficulties, the crowd became restless and their set was cut short by a few songs. Despite this their setlist was sterling and they gave a captivating performance. I just wish I’d heard about them sooner. With album Fingerprints & Handwriting released in early 2016, I’m expecting bigger things from these boys. Keep your eyes peeled.

TTNG have had a bit of a rocky year, replacing their front man after vocalist Stu Smith deciding to leave due to family commitments, but do not fear. If Friday’s performance was anything to go by, it’s clear to see that the band lives on, and continue to thrive. Newest member Henry Tremain is funny and charismatic, perfecting the art of stage presence, and places relief in many minds that this power trio continue to make just wonderful music. The venue was now close to packed as TTNG began their set, and it was constantly busy throughout. Keeping the attention of beer gluggers as well as fans is a skill they should be proud of, especially with their music falling into the genre of progressive math rock. The complex guitar makes it difficult to get into first time round, especially when standing in a small dark hot room.  The commitment of fans and the entirety of the crowd added to the passion and pure talent coming from TTNG the whole set was an incredible experience. If you’re looking for a comparison, think a faster paced American Football. It’s a big shout, I know. But see them live and see for yourself, unfortunately their UK tour is close to ending, but fingers crossed they will return. Long live TTNG!

After an incredible support from Edgarville and TTNG, Foxing had a lot to live up to, but I for one had no doubts. Playing a well structured mix of songs between their well loved album The Albatross and their newly released album Dealer, believe me when I say there was something for everyone. Kicking things off with The Medic, the crowd, myself included, were in the palm of their hands and no one had any intention of leaving. Progressive rock is a genre which I have grown to love massively, and with the mesmerising trumpet solos from vocalist Conor Murphy, it is true beauty. Perfectly timed and executed, mainly over simple drumming to promote the raw music talent of the members, it really is, was and always will be a masterpiece.  After a small chit chat, getting to know each other and well deserved shout out's and claps for the support, Foxing moved swiftly on to promoting their newer releases, performing The Magdalene, Coda, Eiffel and more. Foxing’s  newer album is impressive and noticeably slower and more tamed than their debut, it was hard to top but they did a great job, showcasing their ability to consistently produce music which possesses the same style throughout but effectively changing minor parts to keep fans coming back for more, and to develop themselves as a band. Foxing have it all and they came out and proved exactly that. The rest of the evening went evenly back and forth from old to new, with solos within the crowd to raise intimacy, the venue was perfect for it and it was clear to see that Foxing thrive in an atmosphere like this. The evening ended on Rory, arguably their best song to date, coming in slow and finishing with strong mashed guitar and drums, then subtly peeling all back to just a trumpet remaining. An incredible band and incredible performance. Do yourself a favour and check them out, absolutely flawless.

Thank you for everything, Foxing.