By Andi Bricklin
In interviewing Rixton, I’m reminded of the original “boy band” from Liverpool. Those four cheeky Brits filled the US airwaves with their antics and boyish charm, accompanied by catchy tunes that were barely audible over the chorus of screaming girls. Thankfully technology has evolved to the point where the music can now overpower the screaming girls who need a favorite boy band to survive the awkward stages of being a teen, and Rixton is happy to oblige, not minding at all being referred to as a “boy band”. “People can call us what they want, we just do our own thing.” Adding “Come and see us play live and then see what happens.”
A fun band with a healthy sense of mischief, as is evident from their video “Make Out” where Rixton parodies music videos from Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rhianna, and a very brave Jake Roche (who was enlisted to ride the Miley Cyrus “Wrecking Ball” in his birthday suit).
Rixton has proven that they have a great sense of humor, so we were curious: “What’s one of the best pranks that you’ve played on each other?” The band replies that “Jake once locked Danny outside of his hotel room for hours, butt naked. It was hilarious to watch him struggle.” Two hours?! That is some serious commitment to a prank!
Managed by Scooter Braun (Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen, Ariana Grande and Cody Simpson), Rixton, originally christened, Relics, has been performing together for six years already, and Charley and Lewi were band mates before then. “We have been working so hard at this for a long time…our persistence and perseverance are now finally paying off.”
Take a look at the songwriting credits on a few of the Rixton songs and you’ll see some familiar names. Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty) is listed as a songwriter on “Me and My Broken Heart” and Ed Sheeren is credited on “Hotel Ceiling”. However, the band works very closely with their songwriters. “We love to be involved as much as possible in the writing process. We have three songs off the upcoming album written solely by us.”
“Me and My Broken Heart” has been dominating the summer airwaves from shore to shore with Rixton playing to sell out crowds across the globe and tomorrow night (8/5) they are in Philadelphia at the TLA on South Street. So what should you expect at a Rixton show? “Get ready for lots of fun, lots of energy, good music, and a dance party!”
With the amount of tattoos between the band members, Rixton should fit in perfectly with the South Street crowd and a trip to Eddies (around the corner from the TLA) might be in order. “Danny doesn’t have any tattoos whereas Charley and Lewi have awesome tattoos. They are always thinking about their next tattoo. Jake has a pretty cool tattoo on his little finger that reads “FROMISE”.
VIP tickets are sold out, but if you were to hangout at Eddie’s Tattoos before or after the show, you might just find yourself witnessing a few young British lads permanently branding their bods with some original Philly ink.
