Rixton – Rio Theatre – August 18, 2014On Monday, Manchester based pop/R&B quartet, Rixton made a stop on their The Broken Heart Tour in Vancouver at the Rio Theatre. The up and coming band has grown beyond its YouTube origins to score their first UK #1 and now headline their first North American tour.
The all-ages show brought out a small but devoted group of fans, the wide ranging demographic included many cheering, die-hard fans and those curious to see what the buzz was about. When the lights dimmed, the screams rose from the fans and the band leapt onstage to “Speakerphone”, with the core audience singing along, followed by a cover of Ariana Grande’s “Problems”. The young quartet of Jake Roche, Danny Wilkin, Charley Bagnall & Lewi Morgan may be new but have the stage presence of seasoned veterans, rolling with whatever happened onstage with humour and ease (like when Danny unexpectedly ran offstage to the toilet). Lead by the affable Roche, the son of actor Shane Richie and singer Coleen Nolan and a teen star himself, has performing in his blood and it shows in his quick stage banter and performance.
With just the one EP, “Me And My Broken Heart” the band supplements the 70 minute set with a sampling of the cover songs that gained them notice on YouTube like the aformentioned “Problems” as well as covers of R.Kelly’s “Ignition”, Sisqo’s “Thong Song” and Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved”. There was also new original tunes due to appear on their forthcoming full length album. Rixton are also promoting their second single “Wait On Me”, during which their crew filmed some of the performance for use in the promo video.
Throughout the show the band’s witty banter and interaction with the audience definitely won over some of the casual fans. The excitement that ensued when they closed the show with their hit “Me and My Broken Heart” made sure the fans left on a high note and surely left the band feeling the love from their first trip to Vancouver.
Rixton The Broken Heart Tour continues down the West Coast through the rest of this week before returning to Europe. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram @RixtonOfficial