The Backfires and Foxtide Take Over Bowery Ballroom On The “This Is Not An Exit (This Is A Tour)” Tour – 2/5/25

Photos by Ash Schnoor, Review by Genevieve Cai

On February 5th, 2025, The Backfires, the self-described indie rock band from both sides of the Atlantic, took on Bowery Ballroom in NYC with support from Southern California four-piece Foxtide. This show landed at the halfway point for the East Coast leg of the band’s first headlining tour, aptly named “This Is Not An Exit (This Is A Tour)”. This tour supported the release of their debut album This Is Not An Exit, which came out at the end of January and was crafted in NYC itself.

I originally discovered The Backfires through their friendship and collaboration with Phoneboy, one of my favorite indie rock bands from New Jersey. The Backfires also kicked off the first episode of WMSC Unplugged last fall semester! However, this was my first time finally seeing them (and Foxtide) live on stage, and the energy was palpable.

Foxtide started the night with a mix of shoegaze and alt/jazzy rock akin to The Strokes (which both bands are heavily influenced by) that drew in the audience right away. The melodic bassline and super crispy guitar complimented the soulful vocals so well, and frontman Elijah Gibbins-Croft did not shy away from breaking out the guitar solos often.

Previously, I had only known Foxtide’s popular hits “My Favorite Girl Loves Reading” and “She’s Not Yours”, but after this night, “Keep Me In The Palm Of Her Hands” and “Chaos” have been on absolute repeat with their catchy surf-rock vibes.

When The Backfires took the stage and kicked into the electrifying “Brighter Lights”, I immediately felt like dancing. Being that this was a rare barricade-less show, the music felt that much more fun. Lead guitarist Harry Ruprecht consistently stepped to the edge of the stage during the instrumental breaks; his powerful, catchy chords, especially during early hits like “Blindsided” and “Going Gets Easy”, were played much to the excitement of the entire front row (me included).

Frontman Alex Gomez didn’t move around as much, but I could tell that he was really putting his energy into his vocals; the studio to stage sound translated super satisfyingly. Harry and bassist Matt Walter’s backup singing drew the sound together, and Dylan Spiro’s punchy drumming, especially on the rebellious “Matador” (my favorite off the new album) kept heads bobbing all night.

Though I love the band’s high-energy songs, the comedown during the title and–interestingly enough–closing track “This Is Not An Exit” was a pleasant change. The song started with a stripped back, slow tempo and eventually increased in speed and volume, but I felt like everyone could really hold their breath and take in the lyrics before the motion came back into the crowd and the song transitioned into the strictly upbeat “Dressed For a Funeral” afterward.

At the end of the night, The Backfires treated us with one final song in an encore: “Anything”, from their debut EP Consider The Backfires, which served as just another reminder of The Backfires’ mastery of turning relationship angst into poetry.

The Backfires will continue touring with Foxtide (and the band Mercury for their second leg) across the U.S. until mid-March.

The Backfires Setlist (via setlist.fm):

Brighter Lights
Replace It All
Figure It Out
Joyride
Song 55
Turn Off The Lights
Matador
I Know You Know
Never Seen You Before
Preoccupied
Aphrodite
Going Gets Easy
This Is Not An Exit
Dressed for a Funeral
Blindsided

(Encore)
Anything