Fans Can’t Get Enough of Foxtide During Their St. Louis Concert on August 20
— by Carrie Zukoski
Their second time through St. Louis, Foxtide’s lead singer/guitarist Elijah Gibbins-Croft was complimentary to the early 20-something crowd, thanking them more than once for coming out on a Thursday night. On tour to support their April album release, Entropy, the band enchanted fans at Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room on the sixth night of their tour with an hour-plus set of their mix of indie/garage/surf/psych rock ’n’ roll.
But first on the bill to kick the night off was St. Louis’ own Real Topeka People. The stage name of Zach Wexelman, this musician and music producer, is making the rounds around town and concentrating on putting out danceable, eclectic music mixing ’60s and ‘80s soul and R&B with a blend of pop, folk, and hip hop tossed in for good measure. This was best shown through his song “Superfly,” which he stated is a love letter to James Brown and an extremely funk-fueled “Four Time.”
In the second slot, Margot Sinclair put on one heckuva 45-minute set that surely garnered several new fans. The San Luis Obispo band formed in 2022 as a four-piece and added one more member in 2023. And whatever it is they’re doing, they’re doing it right. By mixing ’70s and ’80s guitar-driven rock, rhythmic drums, and at times, synths, this band is taking all the good parts from both eras and blending it into a sound that is both familiar and new at the same time.
The young(ish) lads went all out on stage with boisterous songs that included the power pop “Stupid POV,” the glamoro.”us, punchy “Boat Song,” the summer-infused “Lonely Jester,” the unreleased sonic, catchy “Running,” and the driving “Elizabeth of Bohemia.”
The Southern California Foxtide has been winning people over since they formed in 2019, and tonight was no exception, of course, practically everyone in the room was there to see them up close in person. Let’s just say they became even more cemented in everyone’s hearts on this August night. Foxtide is taking the best from familiar genres and making them pop. From the synth-heavy, ethereal “Entropy” that opened their set, to the poppier, brighter “Days Move Slow” and the deeper, slightly grungy-at-times “Can’t Get Enough” that are all found on Entropy, the band showcased their talent and range from the get-go. Their set continued with Gibbins-Croft jumping off stage into the crowd, declaring that they’re a California band and they tend to get a little rowdy, to amp the fans up a notch. A few times throughout their set, a beach ball found its way bouncing across the stage and into the crowd. The all-too-quick hour also included fan favorite “Wait It Out” and “She’s Not Yours.”
It was pretty cut and dry that everyone in attendance adored Foxtide and now has new-to-them music to suss out from Margot Sinclair and Real Topeka People. All in all, a successful night of live music in the STL.
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