Budding boy band Rixton gave a treat for their Manchester fans on Friday, as the heartthrobs braved freezing temperatures to perform an impromptu set at Salford Quays.
They have captured teen hearts up and down the country with their video for debut single Make Out, which parodies some of the most popular music videos of the year including Miley Cyrus’s Wrecking Ball and Katy Perry’s Roar.
And to the delight of their fans, Rixton’s official Twitter account announced that they would be appearing outside Frankie and Benny’s to perform an acoustic set.
Despite the increasingly low temperatures, the boys didn’t disappoint as they arrived around 4.30pm to play in front of a modest crowd of exclusively female teenage fans.
Even with no microphones or sound engineers, the foursome’s tight cohesive harmonies stood out over a stripped-back accompaniment of just two guitars and a cajon.
They began with a cover of Drake’s Hold On We’re Going Home, into which they injected plenty of pop swagger with aplomb. Frontman Jake Roche, the son of Coleen Nolan and Shane Richie, was confident and jovial as he interacted with the small crowd perched on a wall in front of him.
He may have studied at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and appeared in Emmerdale and Finding Neverland, but it would be unfair to accuse him of being nothing more than a product of privilege and stage school, as he demonstrated quite clearly that he can indeed sing.
As well as R Kelly’s Ignition, they also premiered some new material of their own. I Like Girls was a sunny, reggae-inspired number in which Jake sings of his love for…well, girls.
They finished the set with Make Out, which had the audience singing along and whooping slightly sheepishly – let us not forget, the entire performance took place in an otherwise deserted car park.
After the performance, the boys were in high spirits despite the relatively small turnout. “We’ve been doing pop-up performances for ages now,” explained drummer Lewi Morgan.
“It’s a great way to connect with people when you just turn up in the street.”
Former Mancunian Jake Roche agreed and added: “We recorded our album in New York, and did a lot of street performances there, but this is great as we’re back in our home town.”
When asked if their newfound fame has meant they’ve been targeted by over-zealous female fans, there’s an appreciative screech from the assembled crowd. “There are a few wild ones,” said Roche. “But, the more the merrier!”
Guitarist Charley Bagnall spoke up about the inspiration behind their Make Out video, and said: “It was a joint decision to do that.
“We just wanted people to open their eyes to us, really notice us. It was a lot of fun at the same time!”
“It wasn’t really taking the mickey out of those videos,” added bassist Danny Wilkin.
“We chose them because they’re all artists we love. I think we did a pretty good job of recreating some of this year’s best videos!”
“And it was an excuse to get naked!” Morgan chipped in.
Despite only being uploaded to YouTube on October 22, the video has already achieved more than 500,000 views.
And if you were wondering if Roche’s famous parents had any influence in catapulting their son’s latest venture into the limelight so swiftly, he was keen to set the record straight.
“No, it didn’t really help that Shane Richie is my dad,” he said matter-of-factly.
“I hardly see him at the moment because we’re out on the road, but this is a completely different career path to his. Also, our label [SB Projects, owned by Justin Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun] are US-based, so they had no idea who my dad was anyway.”
Whether or not Jake’s connections have been influential in propelling the band into the realms of chart pop, there is one thing that cannot be disputed: these four lads are a refreshingly down-to-earth bunch with enough talent (not to mention the obligatory tattoos and good looks) to stick around in the hearts of teenagers everywhere for some time yet.
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