Concert Review: Foxy Shazam at The House of Blues in Boston, MA

Foxy Shazam
House of Blues
Boston, MA
June 23, 2010

Rating:  

Reviewed by:  Sally Feller

Hailing from Cincinnati and touring with Hole, Foxy Shazam built up some impressive energy at the House of Blues in Boston during an otherwise “blah” muggy weeknight in the city. What do you get when you mix Freddie Mercury with current indie rock? Foxy Shazam – a bit of foxy and loads of shazam. Despite the band’s name, they’re not actually named after a skin flick from the 70s that you have to watch in a dank theater with a bunch of balding, sweaty dudes in overcoats. Apparently the name comes from a slang phrase used in one of the bandmate’s high school to reference cool shoes.

Foxy Shazam definitely amps up the energy for their live shows; Nally split his time between singing, somersaulting, and cavorting with the mic stand.  White actually jumped onto his keyboard at one point, pounding the keys with his hoofers. The boys have energy, I’ll give them that. On the music side, I’m torn between finding them sort of abrasive on my ears and wondering if they were just horribly miscast by playing a show at the House of Blues and opening for Hole. They just aren’t a match for Hole’s audience. At all. And the crowd showed this to the point that it was a bit awkward to watch. Now, I have no doubt that Foxy Shazam could’ve really gotten a more indie crowd bumping  but they need to be at true rock venue, sticky floors and hipsters galore, to get their amazing energy to hover and entrance the crowd.

Foxy Shazam plays alt-punk rock that scenesters feed on like vampires on blood. The alt-punk sound is then infused with some startling doses of 80s pop-punk  and glam rock, which results in an assault of hyper energy on the ears. On the performance level, their sense of humor shines through and is utterly contagious. You can get a hint of this by checking out their videos, but to really feel it, you need to see these dudes live. The guys definitely love what they’re doing and their passion was felt by everyone there; and that says a lot for a band. I get the feeling that their music will grow along with them and hope to be able to see them in a different venue, opening for a different band, nay, playing their own show in the future.

Tune in next week for our interview with the band!

For more info on Foxy Shazam:
Website
Facebook
MySpace

Catch them live:

Jun 30 2010   Tabernacle w/ HOLE  Atlanta, GA  
Jul 2 2010  Fillmore Miami Beach w/ HOLE  Miami Beach, Florida  
Jul 3 2010  Hard Rock Live w/ HOLE  Orlando, FL  
Jul 6 2010  House of Blues w/ HOLE  Houston, TX  
Jul 7 2010  House of Blues w/ HOLE  Dallas, TX  
Jul 8 2010  Art Ambush  Waco, TX  Find Tickets
Jul 10 2010  Forecastle Festival – Waterfront Park  Louisville, Kentucky  
Jul 11 2010  The Fillmore Detroit w/ HOLE  Detroit, MI  
Jul 13 2010  The Pageant w/ HOLE  St Louis, MO  
Jul 14 2010  Vic Theatre w/ HOLE  Chicago, IL  
Jul 15 2010  Vic Theatre w/ HOLE  Chicago, IL  
Jul 16 2010  First Avenue w/ HOLE  Minneapolis, MN  
Aug 6 2010  Lollapalooza  Chicago, IL  
Aug 28 2010  Leeds Festival – Bramham Park  West Yorkshire, UNITED KINGDOM  
Aug 29 2010  Reading Festival  Reading, UNITED KINGDOM  

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