Foxing headlined an electric performance at the Middle East in Cambridge on March 12. The show started with a set from Adjy, who made the most of the crowd that would only grow larger as the night went on. Their performance stood out amongst the opening acts, as the group played with a sense of humor and style that was only matched by the headlining act.
After the brief Adjy set, Tancred took the stage. Jess Albot, the lead singer in the group, did an excellent job as lead vocalist, and the music played by the group was also well done and extremely catchy, but the stage performance lacked the kind of flair that propelled Adjy in their performance.
Lymbic System, the next band to perform, had similar issues. Lymbic System also deviated from the main style of music performed that night, as the electronic beats and melodies seemed tame in comparison to the punk style of the other groups. Their music seemed to be lower energy than the music that proceeded it, which only created a greater contrast to the energy that was exuded from Foxing.
Foxing as a group has been in the middle of a couple of recent controversies. The lead singer was punched in the face during a show in Chicago, breaking his nose and preventing him from playing trumpet in subsequent shows.
More recently, the group publicly responded to rumors about a sexual assault allegedly performed by the guitarist before the band was active and are donating proceeds from the current tour to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN).
Despite the weight of these issues, the band’s performance was stunning. As the headlining band, the struggle of a show is to keep the audience engaged for the entire set, and in this show, Foxing managed to do it perfectly. Murphy was also able to play trumpet within the show, which caused a cheer to erupt from the audience. Even with little knowledge of the group, the show entertained extremely well. This is a band worth seeing live.
Foxing continues their tour back to their home city of St. Louis, Missouri, before going on another tour in Europe.