Northampton four-piece makes a stop in the London city.

The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington isn’t this first place I’d expect to find myself on a Tuesday night, and the same seems to be true for the general crowd as the venue is basically empty at set time.

Waiting up a couple of minutes, with a few more turning up, the Northampton boys of Fox Chapel don’t shy away from the challenge of entertaining the selective few.

Opening with their most recent single Ice Cream, their psych-like guitars and scattering bass have you easily forget the lacking turn up. Kailan Price’s idiosyncratic vocals puncture through the noisy foundation, giving the audience something to linger on midst the reverb-fused daze.

“We are Fox Chapel from Northampton, thank you for having us,” Price announces, before heading into next tune, Into The Sun.

The lacking size of the crowd doesn’t seem to affect Fox Chapel as they stick to their set, playing with a coherency, which, with a bit more material under their belt, is sure to take them places.

The subversive bass lines, courtesy of Jonny Longland, topped with dark drenching guitars and punctuating percussion, coexist as a founding piece.

The more upbeat, Bedroom Blue is next with Calam Wright’s prolonged guitar-work centring. Joel Daw’s energetic drumwork is spinning through the set, holding up the steady ground of the tunes.

“The next song is the B side of ‘Ice Cream’, it’s really depressive,” Price claims as the band delves into Dead Flowers. The punching delivery of vocals and their unmistakable surrealist composure work as a continuum throughout the set. There is little to say on the delivery, yet the presence of crowd or rather, the lack of it, sets its marks on the gig.

It seems as though the band is in their own bubble. Their minimal interaction, both between each other and the crowd can seem alienating, though it contributed to the sense of isolation the tunes at times convey. In this particular case it can also protect the live effort from falling through. “This next one is a love song as well, and it’s called You make me ill.”

Rounding off with banger Make Out, the tune’s vibrant bass lines and guitar variations make it a great final.

As the feedback of the last tunes dies out it’s safe to say that the quality is there. Though their material can seem a bit monotone at times, this might change as their catalogue extends. True to their style, the set leaves you just on the edge, yearning for more.

It’ll be exciting to see were the Northampton youngsters are headed, and we’re hoping to see them back in the capital soon.

Photos: Aurora Henni Krogh