Featured bands: Roxum

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Roxum is an exciting band. Their infectious dance songs will set a room on fire and their stage presence echoes their music. Grounded in the sounds of the club, they are all about dance, though I think in recent years they have developed a bit of a heavier edge which adds an edge to what you hear.

Roxum at the SoundHouse © Artsin

Last year we wrote: ' The combination of club style drum beats, hard hitting bass lines, mind blowing guitar riffs and strong vocal performances have contributed to Roxum's current success as one of the most marketable acts currently in the East Midlands.'

Of their new releases, our reviewer wrote: 'This funky band are doing exactly what society wants to hear, at the moment and then some! This is proved further by 'Body for a bullet' showing these are two tracks that have taken a simple rock line-up of guitars bass and drums and spiced them up with some impressive results and an abundance of style! Here are two very catchy, upbeat songs that I can imagine going down an absolute storm at a live gig. A very modern style of British club-like vocals have been achieved, that added to the groovy force that the guitars and bass have created, lay perfectly on top of the foot-tappingly good drumming of Jamie Bennett. The overall sound has a certain quirk to it that sets it apart from the strum heavy indie bands of late, the walking bass, bouncy drums and most notably the pounding club choruses are to blame for this work of musical genius I believe.'

Earlier this year we said: ' I just love Roxum's compulsive beats, their fantastic sense of rhythm and their awesome guitar work, not to mention the exhilarating vocals of Dale Taylor . It's the total package of infectious music and glittering on stage showmanship that does it for me.'

When we saw them playing at the Auditorium we wrote: ' One of the highlights of the evening on the main stage was the performance given by Roxum . This band always pumps up the atmosphere when they play. Their set of powerful, high energy dance songs is a great floor filler. A band featuring the captivating vocals of Dale Taylor and the stunning guitar playing of Jack Jordan, they pumped out an exhilarating set.'

Back in 2009 we wrote: 'As always their set was electrictrifying. Playing the headline slot that was supported by some solidly good bands, the five musicians turned out a set of their hard, dance rock songs, with energy and precision.

Previously called Aikon, this band has always lent towards a dance-floor filling stye of music but, following their change of name, have powered up theirs sound to bring them closer to the harder end of the rock spectrum. They have however retained the captivating rhythms and frenetic energy of their earlier days.

Tonight's performance bristled with fireworks and colourful flashes of song and guitar work. As always, Roxum is a natural headline band - one that can bring a night of good rock music to a spectacular close. Their migration into progressive hardcore has made them even more thrilling than before. '

Dale, Callum and Jack © Artsin

Roxum are

Dale Taylor (Lead vocals)

James Dillon (Guitar, vocals)

Jack Jordan (Lead guitar)

Callum Chapman (Bass)

Jamie Bennett (Drums)

Jack Jordan © Artsin

We interview Roxum

Artsin: I am here with the guys from Roxum. So guys, how are thing's going with the band?

Roxum: Hey, things are going well with us thanks! Our aim is to get people dancing and moving at live shows and we are definitely a party band!

Artsin: Tell me about yourselves, who is in the band and what do they do?

Roxum: Well we have been together since 2008 and I guess you could describe our sound as dance/ rock. We have Dale Taylor (Vocals), James Dillon (Guitar/ Vocals), Jack Jordan (Lead Guitar), Callum Chapman (Bass) and Jamie Bennett (Drums).

Artsin: What shows have you got coming up? Any festival appearances due this summer?

Roxum: We have had some time off at the beginning of 2011 and unfortunately missed out on the festival season but we have big plans for our return from August, with loads of gigs all across the UK!

Artsin: You have put out some recordings recently. Tell us about them and how they were received?

Roxum: Yes, we completed the recording of our debut single in 2010 called 'My Money's on the Bear.' The album was recorded at Parlour Studio in Kettering, by producer Neil Haynes and took us almost a year from start to finish to put together. Despite the cost of putting the self-funded album together we want to get our music out there as much as we can so we have decided to give the majority of the album away for free. This will be available from our website [see beblow]. There are nine tracks from the album available for free and for those who want to complete the album they can buy the two remaining singles 'Around and Down' and 'My Money's on the Bear' online from 6th June 2011. So far the tracks have gone down really well with over 500 tracks been given away so far!

Artsin: In the old days you were called by another name - Aikon? How has the change of name gone?

Roxum: Yes, that's right and the early days the majority of the Roxum line-up started off in a band called Aikon. We met at college and played gigs in the school and in Leicester from 2005 to 2008 but we felt we needed a change in direction and we have been Roxum ever since! The name originally came from our friend who owned a nightclub who said "Rock Some Shapes", so we thought "Roxum Shapes" before eventually deciding to drop the Shapes which left Roxum!

Artsin: I've seen you guys at quite a few venues now. Of all the venues you have played, which one for you has been the best?

Roxum: Yeah, we have played a lot venues over the years and I would definitely say that there was something special about The Charlotte, in Leicester and it was sad to see it go. Outside of Leicester, I would say playing the Tameside Hippodrome near Manchester was one that sticks in my memory.

Artsin: Tell me about your music. How do you write your songs? Who puts the tunes together and who writes the lyrics?

Roxum: When we put the first album together, 'My Money's on the Bear', it was completely a team effort. The process took a lot of time and the 11 tracks were written over about a three year period. We just all met up in a room and really just jammed until songs, riffs and melodies came out. Dale would then take the music away and put lyrics down to try out in the next practice. The songs were never really finished until we got into the studio to record them as this would be the first time we could sit back and listen to the songs collectively and it was great having producer Neil Haynes there as a second opinion. The songs really evolved throughout the process and that's made them what they are today.

Artsin: Which bands have you supported? Which support slot most sticks in your collective memory?

Roxum: I would say that one of the best bands we have supported would be Twin Atlantic in 2009. It was at the Charlotte in Leicester and Twin Atlantic were a relatively unknown act outside of Scotland at that time. They were great on the night and were great guys too and they have gone on to bigger and better things so are a great role model for us in becoming successful in the industry.

Artsin: If the band genie granted you one wish, to play with a big band, which one would it be?

Roxum: If we are talking about collaboration I would say it would be writing a track with Lady Gaga, given one wish. If we had to name one band we would love to support given one wish then I would say Pendulum! So can we have two wishes please.

James, Dale and Callum © Artsin

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