Toxic Federation

Toxic Federation Review
Toxic Federation. The Greyhound, Beeston, Nottingham. Saturday January 9th 2010.

Just when everyone thought Nirvana had killed off Hair-Metal for good (and many of its widowed legion had swapped denims for threadbare sweaters to sulkily spread dirt over its graveyards from The Grunge Gravy Train) along came The Darkness to plant TNT along the tracks.

And, oh, how we danced in the flaming showers of dirt, glitter and twisted metal while it lasted.

Cock-Rock was re-born in a shiny new Spandex suit, whilst wannabee guitarists everywhere fled for their bedrooms to pore over “Fiddly-Widdly Solos for Beginners”, before loading gherkins into their Calvin Kleins and hitting the club circuit just like their Dads had done a generation earlier.

Well, The Darkness’ demise passed with very little surprise (and, in all fairness, no palpable sense of regret).
Seemingly undiscouraged however, Breaston’s un-signed 5-piece Toxic Federation look set to attempt pretty much the same revamp job on the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

So does Britain really need Iron Maiden back, only with a facelift and a couple of hundredweight in Botox?

Well, going on tonight’s performance, you’d have to ask why in Saxon’s name not?

Taking the tiny Greyhound stage after the band’s rousing intro, vocalist-cum-wide-eyed-staring-madman Mitchel Emms commands the room’s attention right from the off. Coming across as one part Sebastian Bach to two parts Ozzy’s off-meds nephew, he’s everywhere: a fizzling, crackling power-station of arms, legs, hair and ego. The Greyhound quakes and shakes with the noise and moves of the guy - the modest-sized pub aching at the seams from the pulsing primal energy. And boy, has he got the pipes. His OldSkool soaring raawwwk tones can handle the outfit’s balls-out choruses and mellow breakdowns with equal aplomb.

Toxic Federation’s trick is to successfully combine the melodic guitar weaves of NWOBH song-writing with 80’s L.A. Rockstar swagger into a slick, stylish, supercharged package.
And the band certainly look the part: dual-ing guitarists Jake Graham and George Coleman have the blistering chops and floppy locks straight out of the STADIUM ROCK GOD dressing-up box; J.R. on the skins is a spellbinding maelstrom of upper limbs and lil’ Alex Stroud’s bass provides a frighteningly disproportionate level of noise given his minimalist stature.

Relentlessly hauling their trade around the region’s clubs over the last couple of years has honed their stagecraft to diamond precision; which means “On Air”, “Patriot’s Gamble” and recent single “As One” now tear out from the P.A. as the sort of fully formed rock anthems that’ll have you punching the air and shouting until your larynx bleeds. For about a second there, maybe around halfway through their set, it very nearly felt like it was 1986 all over again and Van Halen still ruled the Universe.

That said, Toxic Federation are a (very) young outfit, and while that may perhaps immunise them against the obvious accusations of clichéd rock posturing and the somewhat unimaginative song-writing on display, just as with The Darkness, one will always be left wondering what sort of shelf life can be expected of a band offering up what is little more than stylised Rock Cabaret.

Nevertheless, at their best these guys have the show and the musicianship to put most filthy-rich touring bands out there to shame. And if the Cosmos awarded slick career trajectories based purely on the merits of performance elan, these lads will be selling out arenas by the end of the year.

So then, look out Whine-Rock. Toxic Federation are here to knock the scowl off your face one more time.

Al Draper. January 2010.


Posted by: Al Draper on 16 March 2010 - Al Draper

Twas the second night gig in a row at the old 'Corp as was previously here on the 28th for Vain in the little room. Tonight though, it's to the left and into the big live room for a high volume party from some of Irish's finest - and no I ain’t talkin' about malt whiskey either or is that whisky - I never did get my head around that.

Anyways, the place had started to get nicely filled already for the nights openers who go by the name Toxic Federation, a five piece from the Nottingham and Derby parts of the UK - just down the road from us to be exact about it.



They look the part and they play the part and can't really be more than their mid 20's - good looking guys (without me sounding gay - hahaha) who remind me of the good ole days when killer hair and plenty of it was the complete norm in rock.



They are as tight as tight and their blend of rock and metal is kinda early to mid 80's meets the early 90's kinda sound - imagine Iron Maiden meets Skin and Little Angels with a voice and dynamic providince to match.



Their 30 minute set goes down amazing, with their frontman, even swinging around from the top of the front stage ceiling - if that makes any sense.

8/10 - Glenn Milligan

There were some changes to tonight’s support acts which I was totally unaware of until I got to the venue. I was actually quite pleased to hear that the opening band was to be Toxic Federation. I’ve checked out some of the band’s songs and video’s recently and have been very keen to catch them live at some point and tonight I got my chance. The band is a very young Midlands based band, who are gigging everywhere, they are a glam / sleaze influenced band but perhaps with a heavier edge. If you like bands like Crashdiet & Crazy Lixx, the band should appeal to you.

I have to say I was really impressed with their performance and the quality of their musicianship! Whilst some of the onstage antics may have been a little OTT for some I found it hugely entertaining - a band full of energy and not worried about throwing themselves full force into their performance. Lead singer Mitchell Emms, is particularly wild, jumping all over the place and even running offstage into the crowd! A very enthusiastic frontman who may come across as a little unhinged with some of his antics, but was obviously enjoying every last minute of his time on stage.

I was impressed with the tightness of the rhythm section courtesy of JR Windsor (Drums) & Alex Stroud (Bass), which obviously gave the band that big heavy groove! The guitarists Jake Graham & George Coleman seem to have very different styles of playing, which brings a unique sound to the band which will make them stand out from their peers. They both shared lead guitar duties over the course of the set and showed what they could do with vigour! Jake was very prominent for playing a lot of Maiden-style fretwork. I’m not usually one for guitar hero widdling sessions but I love all those hugely melodic Maiden guitar riffs and solos. So I really took to the songs which Jake let rip on.

They have a great sound for live performances, they have a great rhythm and energy to grab your attention, whilst they do come across quite heavy the melodies do still soar on through! There were a couple of songs that were perhaps a little too bland or only had one moment of a stand out guitar work but to be honest I was impressed by the vast majority of the songs the band chose to perform. I have to say I really like “As One”, the band even had a heart attack inducing pyro explosion during the performance of this one! You can’t fault the band for their energy and enthusiasium and obvious love of performing live. I heavily recommend you go and check these guys out when they are in your neck of the woods, you won’t regret it and remember to take your dancing shoes! - Woody

Diamond Head, Toxic Federation & Suicide Tuesday
@ The RockHouse – Derby - (26.8.09)

“Next up were Toxic Federation, when I first saw these
guys, they had no front man to speak of, and although
fantastic musicians and obviously oozing talent, I did feel
that there was an element missing. A year down the line,
much to my surprise they have an enigmatic front man;
Mitchel Emms strutting his stuff and taking the band to a
whole new level. His appearance and stage presence are
instantly striking, reminding me of a cross between Adam
Ant and Dave Lee Roth, a strong combination of hard hitting
vocals and interesting stage antics gripped the audience,
ensuring that all eyes were firmly fixed on Toxic Federation.”

Alice Durose (Wildchild Media) - Alice Duroce

Review from Surface Unsigned Round 3 2009

"The second band of the night was Nottingham based five-piece
Toxic Federation. They’re back under the Surface banner for the
seventh time and this time with an impressive new set worth of
material. This is a band growing from strength to strength that you
definitely do not want to miss. Already completing a massive tour
supporting the well known band UFO, this is a band that are no
strangers to the industry. They put on a great show tonight including
roof swinging and an impressive drum solo at the Asylum holding their
own against some stiff competition. These guys will definitely go far." - Surface Unsigned 2009

Review by Erewash sound - The Venue, Derby, Oct 2008
(Supporting Hot Leg)

After me getting lost in Derby I finally found the venue, (Only because
i heard the band playing from outside). So to the band, these are four
very talented young rockers supporting Justin Hawkins (Former front man
of The Darkness) on the 2nd date of his UK Tour with his new band
"Hot Leg".

They write and produce all their own material and they did "rock the house".
I was aware of their music playing it on my rock show Saturday's on
erewashsound.co.uk but could they cut it live? Within their music you can
hear their influences including Led Zeppelin, Wishbone Ash, Iron Maiden and
Metallica, but they do have their own sound which i thought was good.

Not only did Toxic Federation put on a blinding 30 mins set, but picked up
a whole load of new fans and the respect of Hot Leg Justin Hawkins new band
who they supported, but i missed them because of the time, o well mayeb next
time Justin! The tracks were really good, Behind The Mask, Patriots Gamble and
the drum solo stood out. Last Words, Neon Dream and Machine Men all worthy of
any established rock band with some nice rhymes. The only one bit of advice that
I would give to them is to get writing some more songs because it won't be long
before they are signed to a "big" record company! - Erewash Sound

"Ingiliz rock grubu "Toxic Federation"in üyeleri Mugla'nin Fethiye ilçesinde tatil yapiyor.

Fethiye'deki tatillerini sürdüren 5 gençten olusan ünlü rock grubunun 4 üyesi Mitchel Emms, Alex Stroud, Take Graham ve Jr. Windsor, "Maske Arkasi" isimli albümlerinin ardindan, yeni albüm hazirligi içerisinde olduklarini söylediler.

Fethiye ve Ölüdeniz'i "harika" olarak degerlendiren ve tatil için Türkiye'ye yeniden geleceklerini belirten grup üyeleri, "Türk gençleri de çok hos. Ilk kez Türkiye'ye geldik. Istanbul'da yapilacak olan rock festivaline katilacagiz" dediler." - CNN