Leeds Key Club, 31/03/18
Support: Emily Isherwood, Bloody Knees.
I’ve been waiting a while to see Black Foxxes play a headlining set for a while now. After hearing their newest record, ‘Reidi’, a headline tour would have to be done for the band. First on the bill was Emily Isherwood, an artist who is more for the easy listening crowd than anything but did a superb job of introducing the night. More than anything, it was a particularly controlled set and that’s what the night needed. Usually, when an audience is introduced to a different genre on the night, it’s met with a hostile reaction but not for Emily as her performance was captivating and she just drew in the energy from all around her.
For the heavier listeners though, Bloody Knees was the band for you. I’ve listened to them previously but their set was a welcomed reminder about just have fun an energetic their music can be. They stormed their set and helped elevate the crowd, ready for Black Foxxes while still maintaining an ultimately rhymic set that proves just how grand supporting bands are. To put it simply, Bloody Knees are incredible live. Every track you heard was fantastic but to hear what their music is first hand, you see them going bigger and bigger.
Now Black Foxxes are an incredible band but to see the trio on a headlining tour was quite fantastic. Regardless of their production problems which left their stage lights off for a period of time on their set (whether it was deliberate or not) it was a great set to see the introduction of new material from their latest record. There were times when the set did rise and fall but for the last few tracks, it just became even more mesmerising to watch as the night went on. Having spent the last few years touring their butt’s off, the new selection of tracks show the level of maturity they’ve come to embrace as a band and that is one of the best things about the night as you see themselves gaining a new taste for what only you could predict to be a brighter future for the band as a whole.
Rating: 8/10
Emily Isherwood
Bloody Knees
Black Foxxes
Almost Anything Music 