n0trixx / The Exchange / Bristol
Just a gentle, 300 mile round trip on easter Sunday down to one of my favourite venues, The Exchange in Bristol, to catch rising star n0trixx on her “A Catalogue of Madness and Melancholia” album tour.
First up in support we get a set from local artist Desire X, a singer/songwriter who delivers some fantastic alternative rock sounds with melodic and emotional vocal tones. With guitarist, drummer and his dad on bass, the four manage the small stage space in The Exchange’s basement well, Desire X making use of the space well posing on the monitors as he delivered some fantastic vocals. A solid set and some great songwriting skills, I hope to see more of Desire X in the future.
Russian-born, Lancashire-based artist n0trixx has just released her debut album “A Catalogue of Madness and Melancholia”. A sufferer of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) her story is both sad and inspiring. The new album focuses heavily on issues such as DID and abusive relationships and anxiety. Her sound is trap metal, synth and heavy guitars in unison, not too dissimilar to Mimi Barks.
n0trixx strikes an imposing figure, dressed in black, hair braided back and with an intricate wire mesh mask and white eye lenses creating an eerie persona on stage. With just Liam Strike on stage with her on guitar, and a platform with MacBook and Novation Launchpad, handling the beats and synth sounds.
The lighting is minimal, mainly red, adding to the eerie visuals, n0trixx squats down at the centre of the stage as the music starts up wearing a hooded robe. The atmosphere shifts immediately, intense and emotive. You felt that the crowd didn’t quite know what to expect, which I think just added to the anticipation !
Her trap metal sound is impressive, it’s dark, moody, heavy and utterly mesmerising. Liam’s guitar riggs add a sharp metal edge to the tracks and works well, the timing spot on to the electronic systems driving the beats.
n0trixx writes about mental health issues with a rawness that borders on fearlessness. Throughout the set, she steps down at regular intervals into the crowd and walks round the crowd, up close and personal, singing right into people’s faces as she slowly moves past. Many artists drop into the crowd, but there was something different about her approach. The slow deliberate walk, creepy and yet beautiful at the same time. It has a sense of intimacy with her audience, a sharing of her experiences and the emotional responses.
Each track covers something different, including dementia, ADHD, anxiety, dissociation identity disorder, suicidal thoughts, depression. Some may feel that it’s too much, but I think she performs with a sense of bravery, someone who has experienced and shares her experiences through art. There’s no softening of the subjects, its lyrically raw and rightly so. There’s no apology for the content, its sung right from the heart, and I think the material is all the better for it.
n0trixx has an incredible voice too, with a great range. Able to deliver some intense and powerful guttural roars, visceral screams and delicate melodies, and transitioning from one to the other with ease.
And between each song, as the tracks are lined up and readied, n0trixx talks candidly with her audience about DID, abuse and her anti-war stance. The set is tight, well balanced and her trap metal style is fantastic, the beats are addictive and make you want to move, whilst the guitars and vocals add that almost metalcore flair over the top. Great stuff !
Heading down to Bristol, I’d seen some of her videos online but didn’t know what I was going to get live. The reality was a strong, powerful woman with a inspiring message, delivering some intense trap metal beats, and delivering a visually stunning eerie performance.
A really great set and I’m sure we’ll be seeing much more of n0trixx in the near future !
