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Foxing brought their A-game to Delmar Hall Friday night when they returned home to play for a sold-out crowd. They also brought with them a trio of local acts for a full night of St. Louis born-and-bred music.
Shinra Knives, a.k.a. Ian Jones, kicked off the night to a growing crowd of younger 20-somethings (which eventually spanned a wider age range), performing a 30-minute set of original hypnotic, transcendental grooves. With the aid of images projected on a screen, Knives took his audience on a journey from the depths of anguish to a calmer, ethereal, loving space. His album, In Grief, recently received Riverfront Times’ best local album of 2022 nod.
Local synth/post-punk duo The Mall then arrived onstage, launching into a half-hour of tracks full of energetic, edgy synth with a stomping beat. Vocalist Mark Plant’s guttural growls and snarls left fans wanting more. The pair recently received Riverfront Times’ Staff Pick for best local artist in 2022, and their newest album, Time Vehicle Earth, dropped in October.
The night's final opener, Thor Axe, readied the crowd for the main event. This six-piece instrumental prog rock band has been playing together since 2007, mostly as a side project. Clad in all-white jumpsuits, Thor Axe wasted no time in electrifying the crowd with their driving, thumping, energetic mastery of the genre and their instruments (prolific guitarist Phil Ring was a highlight). Their 30-plus-minute set flew and featured several songs from their most recent release, Solar Rips.
When it came time for Foxing to take the stage in front of the sold-out crowd, lead singer Conor Murphy wooed fans early on by saying, “It’s been a long time since we played at home and we forgot what that feels like. Thank you for being here.”
Amid a mostly darkened stage highlighted by a deep purple and pink glow, Foxing lit up the space with their unrestrained energy. For more than an hour, the indie-rockers fluctuated between sweet sounds punctuated by Murphy’s falsetto, poppy hits, and tracks that took listeners to a darker, introspective, gut-wrenching place.
Unable to stay still for long, Murphy postured and contorted on stage and, mindful of the hometown crowd, breached the edge to be as close to the fans as could be. Highlights of the set included “Beacons,” “Night Channels,” and “Gameshark,” and the band closed the night with a dramatic, heartfelt rendition of “Rory.”
For more photos from the night, visit bit.ly/Foxing22cz. For a full setlist, visit setlist.fm.
