Live Review: Black Foxxes - The Key Club, Leeds 29/03/2018

The Key Club opened it's doors on a rainy Thursday evening, with the crowd raring to kick off the long bank holiday weekend with some emotional rock.

Kicking off the show we had the amazing Emily Isherwood, easing the crowd into the night with her unique take on the indie pop sound. It’s not often you see a double bass on the stage of The Key Club but it’s always an interesting experience when it’s played so elegantly as it was tonight. The crowd quietly listened throughout the set with a few members even singing along to a few of Emily’s tracks. As we approached the end of the set the double bass was moved aside and a workman’s saw was brought out, at first, I thought this was some performance piece and we would be crafted a memento of the evening. I was most pleasantly surprised when the saw was manipulated into such a way that it could be played as an instrument.



Next up on the bill we had Bloody Knees who steamrolled straight into their set with some huge riffs which shocked the crowd after the chilled set from Emily. They never let up throughout the whole set keeping their riffs massive and their drum beats heart pounding. As the fuzzy guitar sound echoed throughout the venue the enigmatic frontman held the crowd in the palm of his hand. It was mentioned that the usual guitarist was unable to make this tour but the stand in guitarist looked like he had been part of the band since the beginning.



As the lights went down to introduce Black Foxxes to the stage the crowd edged their way closer to the stage and the whispers died down. The buzz of the guitar rang through the venue and Black Foxxes roared into their first track of the night. Frontman Mark proved why the band deserved the traction they were getting recently with his unique voice and emotional lyrics resonating with the crowd on a personal level. The set was filled with songs from both albums, all of which were sang right back at the band. This in turn forced Mark to request the crowd to sing quieter during a slower track as you were unable to hear the softer-spoken parts of the song. The band had a unique take on their guitar sound by utilising a loop pedal and finishing a song by mixing this via the pedal board. Even during the walk off before the encore the crowd never quietened down and pleaded for more using the classic “Yorkshire” chant.



Words and Photography by Nathan Robinson