Photography by Matt Bell
For an average Thursday evening, London’s West End was unusually packed, with hordes of people bustling in and out the vastly popular Soho theatres. Despite the thick canvas of bodies, the punters heading their way to the Bexey show at the Borderline were completely distinguishable, with their strikingly distinct style and flair on high parade. The vocalist has been turning heads as of lately, putting out big hits such as new release ‘Villain Tears’ and ‘Stay Alive’ featuring Fat Nick. With it being the second night of the two sold out Borderline shows, the standards were high, and the buzzing crowd were full of anticipation.
By 7 PM, the doors had opened, and people were already flocking inside the compact, 250 head venue. Loud music blaring, lights splashing around and an intensive feeling of thrill bubbling in the air. By 8 PM, things made a start, opening with a unique set from DJ Kareful. Catering to everyone, Kareful’s hour long DJ set had strongly diverse blend. Having tracks such as ‘My Baby’ by Chief Keef in the same set as ‘Flossing’ by 6 dogs, alongside almost everything in the middle, Kareful made the lengthy set exciting, with you guessing at what might come next. Dropping big hit bangers from Trippie Redd and 6ix9ne into mix added the final icing to the cake, getting the crowd up and on their feet, preparing the energy for main act.
Finally, by 9 PM, the lights dropped and it was time. Accompanied by associates HeavyRayn and Milkavelli, Bexey took to the stage, donning a new grill, face tattoo and dark, heavy makeup. Opening the set up with crowd pleaser ‘Suitcase,’ the words ‘‘Life feeling like a movie//We living different but don’t give a fuck what you say’’ are thrown across the venue from artist and fans alike. With Bexey on the sudden rise, anticipation to hear new music is dire, and the night’s show was a perfect time to catch on. Bexey played a plethora of unreleased music, including collaborations with Lil Peep and $uicideboy$. The loyalty of his fanbase was exhibited too, with the crowd singing these unreleased tracks back word for word.
Throughout the show, Bexey interacted with crowd in any way possible. From showing appreciation to a random fan giving him a bag from Lush, to spotting out his ‘Fortnite partner’ among the audience, the night felt heavily personal. To add to this, despite the long distance, Bexey managed to involve close friend and collaborator Fat Nick with the performance, to many fans excitement. Calling him up on facetime, the punters managed to get up close and personal with Nick, alongside building up rumors of a worldwide tour amongst the pair.
Paying homage to his late best friend Lil Peep, the tracks ‘Beamerboy’ and ‘Benz Truck’ were performed towards the end of the night. With a room full of people passionately singing along every word, there was a strong sense of unity, and despite the tragedy everyone in that moment were brought together. Ending the night on fan favorite ‘Stay Alive,’ spirits were high, and elation filled the atmosphere. With a star shining show like tonight, Bexey exhibited why he truly is an act to pay attention to.