Zack Fox at Manning Bar
Performed on the 11th of February, 2023
Review published 25th of January, 2024
A 2 for 1 threat to national security.
‘Man the coke must be stale as drywall by the time it gets here’ remarks Fox, in the intimate Manning Bar. Located on the grounds of the University of Sydney, which I have graduated from, revisiting this space post study revived a weird mixture of feelings. Nevertheless, I trotted into the familiar establishment and found my mate. He did not know much about the artist, but he trusted me that it would be a good time.
Have you seen this man?
That it was. Even though there were only a couple hundred people in attendance, if that, the tickets were well worth the price of admission. Before viewing this set, I had listened to Fox’s tracks and admired their quirky and humorous nature, such as his viral 2019 single, ‘Jesus is the One (I Got Depression)’. However, I had not known that Fox himself was a comedian. This meant that in between performances of tracks, he would engage with the audience and share observations about Australia from the perspective of an American, which are always hilarious.
An ongoing bit throughout the night revolved around guide dogs and cancer? Or guide dogs and drugs? Either way, the man was so effortlessly funny that levelled up the experience farther beyond any stiff performers that do no crowd work whatsoever.
Impressively too, despite not seeming serious in his approach to music, he has worked with and been noticed by some noticeable industry figures. SZA in 2021 tweeted about 'fafo' by the rapper as an appreciation for the track that landed on his debut ‘shut the fuck up talking to me’. That was not the only interesting moment in this album cycle though, as the most popular producer of 2023, BYNX, has production credits on multiple tracks including ‘bane’, which goes unbelievably hard. In 2021, I had no idea why, but now, with the producer showcasing his ability to make rage with Uzi and Yeat, it makes sense.
Even if his catalogue is scant, I am glad Fox made the trip out to Australia, and hope he is successful with his future career, wherever his funny ass is headed.