Foxy Shazam
w/ The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Lobby Boxer
The ’58 @ Eastside Bowl; Nashville, TN
May 24, 2025
Review by Philip Obenschain. Photos by Mary-Beth Blankenship.
For around twenty years now (almost to the date, when their debut album, The Flamingo Trigger, arrived in June of 2005), Cincinnati’s Foxy Shazam have reigned as perhaps the singular most criminally-underrated band in rock. That’s not to say they haven’t tasted success- they’ve toured with legends like Panic! at the Disco, Slash, Hole, and Portugal. The Man; earned praise from influential creatives like James Gunn and Justin Hawkins; singed a major label record deal; singer Eric Nally was featured on Macklemore hit “Downtown,” among other noteworthy achievements- but what fans who’ve attended their countless shows over the years (minus a few, in the latter half of the 2010s, when the band took a hiatus) can all attest to, is that there’s perhaps no singular live force more bombastic, unpredictable, electrifying, or as fun as Foxy Shazam making music today.
Since reforming in 2020 (then promptly being forced to put plans on pause, due to the pandemic), and returning to being independent artists, Foxy- who welcomed a few new members around that same time- have been on a particularly prolific tear, releasing four albums in the last four and a half years (they only released five in their first decade of existence), most recently their ninth, Animality Opera, as well as a remastered re-release of their debut. And though they’ve resumed touring quite a bit in recent years, they only managed to make it to Music City once before now, back in 2022, a show which we weren’t able to attend. Which is why we were extra excited to see the band recently back in Nashville once more- this time at Eastside Bowl’s intimate front venue The ’58– along with The Number Twelve Looks Like You and Lobby Boxer! Read on for our coverage from editor Philip Obenschain, with photos from Mary-Beth Blankenship.
Disclaimer: this won’t be a review like we would usually write, as I simply can’t be objective or analytical here. Foxy Shazam are old friends of mine, who I met as a teen punk, booking DIY shows in small-town Virginia. I’ve watched them grow from a scrappy young band to one who’ve achieved some really impressive feats over the last 20 years, and have spent many nights hanging out with them at sweaty venues, crashing on the floor at my parents’ house in high school and later my place in college and my first adult apartment. I’ve seen them play everywhere from coffee shops to fests across the nation, and even though we haven’t been in touch as much in the last decade, they’re a formative band for me and a group of guys I still consider friends. So instead of getting into the nitty gritty, I’ll just try to describe the wonder, one-of-a-kind, controlled chaos that is a Foxy Shazam show.
Arriving a little late, I only caught the tail end of Lobby Boxer, but I love their eclectic vibe, and from what little of what I saw, their live show seems as fun and inventive. I was happy to be there for The Number Twelve Looks Like You at least, as they’re another band I hadn’t seen in a long, long time, and who I have fond memories of watching as a teen. Similar to Foxy, I don’t feel like I can be objective, as singer Jesse Korman was Foxy’s manager back in the day, and was there for many of those aforementioned youthful hangs. I was floored to see just how intense and wild he and his bandmates still are, after close to 25 years since formation, inviting fans on stage, performing from the crowd, climbing on tables, and just generally treating this like the nostalgic, DIY hardcore shows of the 2000s I miss so dearly. Where Foxy can get a little more pop rock, alternative, glam, and indie, The Number 12 lands much more squarely on the heavy end of the spectrum, and the visceral screams, breakdowns, and moshing hit every bit as hard as back in the day. Members of traveling circus sideshow troupe Hot Fix Sideshow would perform throughout the night, adding even more surreality and fun to this killer set.
As Foxy prepared to take the stage, the room filed in, and I was really floored at just how intimate the setup was. I’ve been to the main room at Eastside Bowl many times, but this was my first time at the relatively new The ’58 (which was formerly the venue’s restaurant space). It’s smaller, less formal looking, and perhaps doesn’t sound quite as good as the big room, but I love an intimate show with an in-your-face stage, and historically my most fun memories of Foxy Shazam have been in spaces like this. Their whole live ethos works best if you’re mere feet away, and grabbing my spot on the side, I was about as close to the stage as one could be without standing on it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to those first three albums, which were so formative to my musical journey in my teens and twenties (I’ve spent time with their post-hiatus stuff too, of course, and it’s a great, natural musical progression, but it will never inherently have the same nostalgia). I’m around the same age as the band, and I suspect they’re feeling the pull of nostalgia for those early years too, both in how in this performance felt more like 2005-2010 than it did the last 15 years, and in how the bulk of their setlist came from that early era as well (in short: this was exactly the Foxy Shazam show I was hoping for).
From the jump- opening the set with old favorite “Yes! Yes! Yes!”- this felt exactly like a classic Foxy Shazam show. Keyboard player Sky White came out with his head draped in a scarf, before going absolutely wild on his piano, lifting and standing on it and even crowdsurfing with it as he’s been doing forever (one early, weird favorite shtick he long ago retired is playing with deer hooves). Horn player and backing vocalist Alex Nauth brought the punch and extra energy of a de facto co-frontman, and worked the stage along with singer Eric Nally. The new rhythm section of drummer Teddy Aitkins and Existential Youth (who brings a sort of Wes Borland-esque costume and nomenclature that feels a little out of place to me, but is a hell of a performer nonetheless) held down the low end. And new guitarist Devin Williams did an admirable job of holding down the band’s eclectic, frenetic catalogue. As mentioned, these new players have been around now for half a decade, and have been on nearly as many releases as the group’s former members, so they’re just as much a part of Foxy as anyone, but, inevitably, I did miss some of the band’s former members I got to know well back in the day.
The star of the show though, the irreplaceable factor that makes Foxy Foxy is, of course, Nally, and 20 years later, he’s as singularly enigmatic, impressive, and wild- a modern embodiment of the spirit of rock and roll. With a Freddie Mercury-esque vocal styling and flamboyant swagger, a wild and manic live presence which has more or less been his signature since day one, and an acrobatic ability to fly around the stage like a wild animal, Eric is quite truly the perfect frontman, and I’ve told him as much many times. I was glad to see he’s not climbing as many dangerous objects as he once did, but a little surprised that he’s still partaking in one stage gimmick he’s been doing for a long time: eating lit cigarettes (something quite shocking and memorable to witness the first time, though at this point it does concern me a bit for his health). I hesitate to ruin the illusion here, but anyone who’s seen this band will already know: while much of Foxy’s show seems spontaneous and genuinely chaotic, there is definitely some forethought about it, and while some of what Nally says and does is certainly spur of the moment, he and the band have definitely earmarked some moments for weird and wild and spectacular. Still, no matter how many times I see them, I’m always in awe of the energy, intensity, and showmanship of a Foxy Shazam show.
From the really old, weird, heavy stuff like “Seagulls Over Rhinosouras Bay Part II” to early, edgy breakouts like “Ghost Animals” (for which they were joined by Jesse Korman ) and “The Rocketeer,” to tunes from their fan-favorite, self-titled major label debut like “Killin’ It,” “Oh Lord,” “Bomb’s Away,” and impassioned set closer “The Only Way to My Heart…,” to early experiment in glam rock “Holy Touch,” the songs from Foxy’s first decade all landed as powerfully and epic as ever, and instantly transported me to mind-blowing, small town shows of my teens and twenties. Being my first Foxy show in many years, this was also my first time hearing all the newer stuff too, and it was also great- with standouts being the propulsive “Love Like This,” the melancholy vibey “Bittersweet Cherries,” and the one and only tune from their latest LP, the harmonic and indie rocking “Pink Sky” (I appreciate that with all of these new records, the band hasn’t felt beholden to just repeat their past style, and has really experimented with new sonic influences and writing styles).
What can I say? I knew I was going to love this no matter the vibe, but I left elated that the vibe felt so nostalgic and familiar, while also older, wiser, and refined in a way you’d expect after many years of lighting up the stage like this. Foxy Shazam are, in my incredibly biased opinion, one of the best rock bands to ever exist, and while I’m thrilled at the cult following they’ve found over the years, it’s a little maddening that they’re still not quite a household name (I hear tell they’ll have some music in the forthcoming Superman film though, so here’s hoping it helps introduce them to some new fans). But, selfishly, I also love that I can still see my talented friends still pour so much heart and energy into playing incredible shows in fairly intimate spaces, and this will, without a doubt, go down as one of the best and most fun performances of the year!
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All photos by Mary-Beth Blankenship
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Setlist:
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Killin’ It
Holy Touch
Love Like This
Oh Lord
Kingdom Come
Only Love
Bittersweet Cherries
Pink Sky
Seagulls Over Rhinosouras Bay Part II
Ghost Animals
Bombs Away
The Rocketeer
The Only Way to My Heart…