The Hotelier / Foxing co headlining tour brings the heat to The Fire

A co-headlining tour featuring Saint Louis’ Foxing and Worcester, Massachusetts’ The Hotelier brought an incredible lineup of bands to The Fire Sunday night. Two popular regional acts played alongside the touring artists, both of whom boast well-received new releases, making for a night of punk so exciting that it was sold out well in advance.

First at bat was local favorites Little Big League. The band flawlessly mixed hooky riffs with a powerful vocal performance from frontwoman Michelle Zauner. Their set was impressive and it came as no surprise when they announced they were the newest member of the Run For Cover Records family the next morning. They have not yet given a release date for their second album, although they say it will be out by the end of the year. Next up were Jersey boys Prawn, whose performance was heavy and load mixing twinkling guitars with roaring drums and gripping vocals. The band is releasing their second full length album, Kingfisher, on Topshelf Records next Tuesday, August 12.

Foxing was the first of the headliners to hit the stage and it was obvious from their first note that they were there to preform. Frontman Conor Murphy, who gets bonus points for preforming in a Hop Along t-shirt, spent much of his time onstage off of the actual stage and in the crowd, as he sang along with the fans sharing countless inmate moments. Foxing’s debut album The Albatross layers heart-wrenching vocals, powerful melodies and dramatic instrumentation to create a sound that’s unique and moving. The band’s live performance definitely encapsulated the drama of the album and then some. If you ever get a chance to see Foxing live, I wouldn’t pass it up.

Final band The Hotelier put on an equally great performance. Its most recent release – Home, Like No Place is There – gained the band a lot of praise and for good reason. The album is one of the strongest, most cohesive punk efforts I’ve heard all year. The band’s live performance was a high energy sing-a-long with every crowd member screaming to each song, word for word. The whole performance was tight; The Hotelier know how to put on a great show.

After the show was done, Foxing headed to a house in West Philly for a secret basement show. Check back to The Key later for photos and a recap of that second show, and continue below for a gallery from The Fire.