Review & Photography by Manny Manson for MPM
When I was asked if I’d like to cover the HAWXX show in nearby Leicester, I jumped at the chance. After seeing the band play at 2023’s HRH at the Leicester O2 Academy and coming away disappointed, not with the band but with the shocking over use of the smoke machine by the venue, it actually irritated the eye and throats of many, I was keen to catch the band under better conditions.
The Firebug is a newish venue for me, I say newish as I seem to recall helping out on a music video shoot between lockdowns, so at the very least I knew where it was. It was nice to see that all the road workings around the venue had been finished and looking smart. Making my way from the car park, it was nice to see Leicester hadn’t lost any of its charm, walking past ‘Middleton’s’ bar at 6:45 it’s nice to see the token drunk trying to take on the world whilst his partner tries to pacify him, screaming ‘Do You Know Who I Am’ as I walk past ignoring him. Nice one Leicester, so early on a Monday evening too.
The venue is upstairs, over a friendly brightly lit city centre pub, for those who know Leicester, it’s up behind the market, the fish market being a place my old gran used to let me wander around back in the early 70’s when I went to visit with her, a highlight of the day along with riding upstairs on the double decker buses of the day.
The Venue is a long thin room, as tall as it is wide, there’s a decent if narrow stage at one end and a bar at the opposite end. 2/3rds down on the right is the merch table, displaying the wears of all three bands. Tonight, has had a few hiccups with the doors being knocked back 40 minutes due to sound board unfamiliarity, it’s a new desk with a learning curve, so hats off to the venue for investing in new equipment.
Up first we have a new band to me, Leicester’s very own ‘HEX POSEUR’, inspired by the likes of P.J.Harvey with a good mix of legacy punk angst, mixed with grunge and metal thrown in for good measure. Hex writes under the ‘Hex Poseur’ pseudonym as she feels she (apology’s for assuming the pro-noun), often suffers from Imposter Syndrome, the name coming from the X-Ray Spex song ‘I Am A Poseur.
Her band comprises Jacob Wakeling on drums and Holly Osbourne on Bass. And I gotta mention a big thanks to her web page www.hexposeur.co.uk for being informative about the band members. A lot of bands could do with taking a leaf from this bands site.
After the late start the band get up and just start. ‘SKIN’, from the ‘Stunning’ album from 2023, is first up with a deliberate distorted simple riff slamming out as Hex delivers a spoken vocal before the drums join in and we’re off. Her guitar tone is dirty as the riffs rumble from the stage slow n deliberate, a great start, very brooding, as we get a tempo change forcing you nod your head, the distorted guitars providing a solid wall of melodic sound as the piercing vocal cry out over the top.
‘VLT’ follows on with the same theme, a faster riffing intro quickly develops into raucous fusillade of snare and deep rumbling bass. Again, the heads are nodding on the small intimate crowd. It’s a Monday night and numbers in tonight are a bit disappointing for a three-band line up. ‘Eat It’ again from the latest album, continues the short seven song set full of attitude and grit.
The crowd are enjoying what’s being thrust at them. There’s a heavily distorted bass groove reminiscent of early stranglers thumping out as we continue, the drum beat pushing this one along with its many tempo changes, it finishes in a flourish of cymbal crashes.
Guitar swaps and quick test of the wah-wah pedal as we drive into ‘Foot Rot’, the dirty guitars weave around the spoken vocal as the drums clatter around the narrative, the fuzzed bass is chainsaw like as it hooks in tight to the drum groove. The wah-wah gives an ebb and flow as the energy builds to a shouted finish and distorted guitars trail away.
Hex says her drummer is going to entertain us as she retunes, Jacob proceeds to give us a run around the HAWXX kit showing that he has the chops, flams and fast feet, a great display and not overly long. ‘Sinew’ is heralded with a scream of distorted guitar and a rumbling nasty bassline. The early doors crowd are enjoying what’s being thrust at them, myself included, it’s got an edge to it that has you nodding along respectfully.
The set finishes with ‘Scum’ from the 2022 E.P. Hearsay, another brutally distorted anthem that’s kicked off with a thundering drum line. The guitars bounce and weave their distorted, melodic badness as Hex delivers another attitude filled lyric, a great song to finish the set, which gets a great response from the intimate crowd, Hex say’s they’ll be at the merch if anyone wants a chat, which I note one or two in the crowd are keen to do.
A quick set change, made easy by all the bands using HAWXX, drum kit, and we’re away again with the red haired BEX. Yet again this is another band I’ve have missed out on, so I’m quite keen to take this one for the team.
BEX, are a band hailing from Milton Keynes, they hit the stage in front of a crowd who seem eager for their set. With Josh on 5 string bass guitar, Connor on drums, and BEX rocking the vocals, they waste no time kicking off their set with ‘Filfy,’ from the SCUM E.P. from October 2023, (in fact tonight’s set is made up entirely from tracks released on this 12 track E.P.) It’s another disgustingly distorted sound that takes no prisoners. Dancing around, marionette like, BEX’s flame red hair bouncing along as she makes faces as she delivers. Having honed her skills during lockdown we have a confident, vibrant front person, dynamic and in your face, brilliant. And the crowd are loving it too.
‘Chained into my brain’ follows, bringing a gritty vibe that has everyone nodding along. The spoken lyric has an infectious energy as BEX invites the crowd forward so she can see them. The thunderous drums have an almost tribal beat as it pulses along, the distorted bass groove rumbling deeply, as BEX hits the shapes which perfectly match the vocal delivery, this is another song that has a certain familiarity about it, Lena Lovich keeps coming to mind along-side Annabella Lwin of Bow Wow Wow and the like.
‘Hazmat Suit (My Ass),’ is greeted with a shouted intro, it’s a tune that has a rebellious edge to it. Fast paced lyrics and a thundering sound wall. The red hair is flying as BEX jumps around the stage a bass guitar hanging from her neck as she does so. She used the bass to rewrite covers during lockdown. The bass body has a had made cover adorning it, multi-talented, BEX hand makes one off specials which are available on the website.
https://www.bexofficial.co.uk/collections/all
Next up we have ‘Trust No One,’ a track with a darker feel keeps the momentum going strong. The slammed drum beat thunders across the venue, the bass is dark and rumbling as BEX’s voice cuts through with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel, melodic but definitely not boring.
BEX introduces the band to the crowd, adding “she makes music you can dance to, jump around to or just nod your head”, before going into ‘Slave 2 the Grind’, not the version by American band Skid Row, this has the crowd moving along to its pulsating rhythm, the crowd is predominantly middle-aged men so dad dancing is obviously dur rigour.
Help is requested for ‘SPYD4 K1NG’, BEX sings “calling to me, calling to you” and this is replied with “Fuck That” which brings an added dose of intensity that once again has the crowd nodding along. The drum groove is catchy as we get hi-hat splashes and some great cymbal sticking. The prepared sing along section is delivered back by the energetic crowd with delighted smiles all around.
BEX continues to treat the audience with a masterclass in how to be a front person with ‘Don’t Date the Devil,’ a song that starts with a preached sermon but quickly drops a devilish bass line and then rocks out as the drums join in and the song gets underway proper. BEX joined Josh on the bass guitars as they rock out together, enjoying the moment as the thunderous sound slams across the venue, pulling shapes and cheeky smiles as they do so.
It was their set closer, introduced as the new single on April 3rd, ‘SunDae,’ that really stole the show. With its infectious hard-hitting melody; it quickly has everyone nodding along. BEX has her back to the crowd as she starts this one, she turns and fires a bubble gun over-head, giggling, the song continues as bubbles float through the venue, adding an extra layer of fun to an already electric performance. Overall, it was a stunning set that delivered in spades, this is a band to look out for in the future.
The London-based band HAWXX eventually take to the stage for their headline slot. The tour aptly named after their latest album ‘Earth, Spit, Blood and Bones’ features a set mainly drawn from the new album. A nice touch was the ‘Hallowed Hymns’ order of service handed out on the way in. This small booklet has the lyrics to each song from the album neatly printed out.
HAWXX are Anna on lead vocals and guitar, Julia on bass and BV’s, Hannah on guitar and BV’s , and Jess on drums and BV’s. They bring their unique blend of hard rock and punk to the Firebug Leicester on an otherwise quiet Monday night.
The band are renowned for their powerful lyrics and gritty sound, and they appeal to a diverse fan base, drawing in those who appreciate raw, unapologetic music with a message. Their ideology centres around empowerment, tackling issues like sexism, mental health, and societal injustices head-on through their music. Formed in 2018, HAWXX came together through a shared passion for music and a desire to make a difference. Their journey has been one of perseverance and determination, overcoming obstacles and pushing boundaries every step of the way, gathering more fans as they do so.
With a commanding stage presence, the band stand, backs to the crowd as Anna, front and centre, has her arm raised as they build the tension. The set kicks the night off with the 20th Century Fox theme played badly on a recorder, played from a backing tape, which brings smiles to the faces of the intimate crowd, as they surge forward to better see the band. ‘Embrace The Ugly’, a powerful song, opens the set with a strong drumbeat from Jess who is sporting a fun, drawn-on moustache.
Anna on vocals sports the same, and encourages the crowd to scream as the show gets under way. With nasty bass rumblings from Julia and melodic riffing from Anna and Hannah, the song pounds into ‘Death Of Silence’ which is anything but. It’s a driving start full of distorted 7 string madness as the song gets going. The dark bass rumblings slam at your chest as it propels the song along. Anna’s voice swoops and soars around this dark melody. As the closing harmonised vocal drops into a dark flurry finishing with a distorted guitar fading out and cheers from the crowd.
A ‘We Will Rock You’ type drum beat heralds the delivery of ‘BLUNT’ the 2020 single from Deadlands, it features a filthy guitar riff intro that drops into a cacophony of dropped tuned dirt. The lyric has drums and a gentle guitar lick swoop around it, as Anna, once again, delivers the potent lyric. A harmonised chorus, in which the crowd are only too keen to join in with “You’re F*@king Beautiful” adds a bit of crowd participation, The extended dirty instrumental outro keeps the heads nodding.
The third song from the album ‘Trust Your Rage’ returns the order of flow (its song 4 in the album song book). The haunting vocal and thundering beats continue with great harmony’s’ as the drums crash all around. The song sings about starting a war and finishes with “Let Me Know When You Get Home” repeatedly sung, the vocal getting filthier as the drum builds in ferocity, ending in a flurry of dropped tuned growls, and cheers from those watching appreciatively
Anna then calls out for anyone in the room that’s been told they’re too sensitive before? There’s just one response. Anna says “ah mate”, “me too”, this song is called ‘Reckless’ “it’s about feeling all of the things all of the time”. The snare cracks out as Hannah plays a repetitive, melodic guitar lick over the top; Anna sings softly before a pause which then has the band join up again as the repeated snare slams continue to push the song forward. A round of “Oh O O Ohs” follow before the breakdown brings us back to the finishing lyric. The crowd love it and cheer and clap enthusiastically.
A slow count in starts another dark brooding intro, this time to ‘Death Makes Sisters Of Us All’ a dark song of woman empowerment, it’s against abuse, and violence as Anna tells the meaning of the song, the drums hammer out viciously, the guitars join in before the angry lyric resumes. Again, this receives a warm round of cheers from the partisan crowd.
The night finishes with ‘Bite (Holiness In Fuck)’, the set being cut short due to the late start and a 10pm curfew. The fast beat smacks into the faces of the crowd, its deliciously hard hitting and a stunning finish to the night. The dropped tuned riffs powerfully envelop the lyric as Anna ferociously delivers with feeling and energy. A brief few words from Anna about being at the merch table when they’ve done and then we get Ozzy over the PA.
So, what of the night. After looking forward to finally getting to see a HAWXX headline set, I leave the venue with mixed emotions. The night has been good, don’t get me wrong, I’m calling nobody, all the bands have been brilliant, but I feel that with such a small turn out we didn’t get to see the bands, truly on fire. And with only playing a 30 something minute headline set, I don’t think they ever, really got into their stride, I urge fans out there to go and see them, even last minute, £10 on the door is a bargain for 3 bands playing original music live. Get out there and support your local venues and live music!
