Ex Hex

Brudenell Social Club, Leeds on Wed 11th Feb 2015

An all-female, all American Ex Hex rock the roof off of Hyde Park's Brudenell Social Club this evening.

What an amazing set put on by these three talented ladies from Washington DC. The crowd are seemingly blown away by a full-on show courtesy of Mary Timony (vocals / lead), Betsy Wright (bass) and Laura Harris (drums), which includes every song from their debut album of last year, 'Rips'.

From the moment they take to the stage and launch into 'Don't Wanna Lose', they play with huge passion and yet in a matter of fact style which appears to have everyone present completely captivated. The girls quickly plow through their first few numbers, all of which are a similar American garage punk style, played at speed and including huge lead guitar riffs. Timony and Wright spend part of each song centre stage, joined at the hip, guitars almost wrapped around each other as they work through their number.

They occasionally switch tempo and dish up something more Surf Rock, with Wright providing the vocals, but for the main it is Timony in charge of the microphone - which she reserves mostly for singing, except for a couple of occasions mid-show when she engages the audience with a typical US "What's up?", quickly followed with a "Oh, come on!" when no one is choosing to play along. To be fair, I suspect all present are a little shell-shocked, bowled over with what has just occurred during the gig's first half. By the time we reach the mid-way point and 'Beast' is unleashed with its 5 minute long guitar break and space-age SFX, everyone is completely hooked.

In addition to their own work, the girls throw in a couple of covers, courtesy of 70's Boston band The Real Kids and the legendary Sweet. Neither should have come as much of a surprise, when their own style has origins somewhere between an early 70s rock sound and the traditional punk that came to follow. There is certainly a similarity to a lot of their songs tonight, each having an amazing level of power in terms of the lead guitar riffs which feature mid-way through most of their tracks.

Almost the entire album is written by Timony and there is no doubting her skills both in terms of playing and in writing a decent punch-packed melody. It's no surprise to learn she has featured in two previous all-female rock bands and looks to enjoy every moment of the gig tonight, particularly those guitar solos. Betsy Wright on bass puts on a similarly impressive show, and together with Harris on drums, they provide rock solid accompaniment. Together, they have an obvious passion for playing live music; there is not one moment throughout the night where the ladies do not appear thrilled, indeed fanatic, with the job in hand.

This was a strong and enjoyable performance from start to Sweet-style encore finish and was enjoyed by all present, including one Steve Lamacq. Ex Hex are definitely a band worth seeing this year should the chance allow.

article by: Deb Baynes

photos by: Richard Nicholson

published: 16/02/2015 20:08



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