Vexed (band)
British alternative metal band
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vexed are a British alternative metal band from Hertfordshire, formed in 2019.[1]
Vexed | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Hertfordshire, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Label | Napalm |
| Members |
|
| Past members |
|
| Website | vexedvexedvexed |
History
2019: Formation and early singles
Vexed were formed on New Years Day 2019, by vocalist Megan Targett, guitarist Jay Bacon and drummer Willem Mason-Geraghty.[2][3] All three members had played together in a band whose direction they had grown to dislike following numerous lineup changes;[4] Targett said that she felt limited in what she could do as a female musician in the band, and as a result "didn’t have a lot of respect for the music or myself because none of it was genuine to me."[2] After reaching a collective breaking point that almost led them to quit music altogether, they decided to form a new band together where they could write, wear, play and say whatever they wanted.[2][3] Targett said that Vexed's name was inspired from the widespread use of the word in The Count of Monte Cristo, stating that she related with the word and her lyrics.[5] The band's lineup originally featured guitarist Callan Hughes.[6][7]
After the band's formation, Vexed began meeting up a couple of times a week to work on new material.[3] In April 2019, Vexed self-released their debut single, "Elite", featuring then-Thy Art Is Murder vocalist CJ McMahon.[8][9] The collaboration came about from Targett reaching out to McMahon on Instagram; he initially declined due to his busy schedule, but quickly changed his mind after listening to the music and recorded his parts for the song the following day.[10][11] The song received over 500,000 streams across various platforms by 2021.[12] In May 2019, they released their second single, "Dominate".[13] In July 2019, Vexed performed their first ever show on the Fireball Whiskey stage of the UK Tech-Fest in Newark-on-Trent.[14][10][N 1] The success of "Elite" brought Vexed to the attention of a promoter in Switzerland, leading the band to organize a tour of the country.[1] Vexed recruited bassist Al Harper for the tour two weeks before it began;[4] by its end, he had officially joined the band.[3][16] In October 2019, the band toured the United Kingdom with In Depths.[10]
2020–2022: Culling Culture
In 2019, Vexed recorded on their debut album, Culling Culture, with producer and Exist Immortal frontman Meyrick de La Fuente.[3][17] The album revolves around the idea of removing or "cancelling" negative individuals from one's life,[18][19] and standing up for yourself.[20] Targett has said that eight songs are based on a set individual, detailing "the experience[s] I went through, and now how I have absolutely nothing to do with them."[3] Most of the bass parts on Culling Culture were written by de La Fuente, as Vexed did not have a bassist at the time; Harper joined as they were completing the album.[3] Despite this, he learnt and played all of its bass parts and contributed to the writing of "Fake",[3] the last song written and recorded for the album.[18] In late 2019, Vexed signed with Tone Management, who shopped the band and the near-complete Culling Culture to various record labels.[3][16] After a period of no interest, Napalm Records offered to release the album and Vexed subsequently signed with the label.[3][21]
Vexed planned on releasing the album in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the band to delay its release by eight months.[20] The pandemic also led to the cancellation of a planned tour of Europe supporting Whitechapel and numerous festival appearances.[22] In January 2021, Vexed announced their signing to Napalm and released Culling Culture on 21 May 2021,[12][23] to generally positive reviews.[24][25][26] Following the album's release, Vexed performed at the 2021 Bloodstock Open Air festival on the Sophie Lancaster stage,[27] and embarked on a headlining tour of the United Kingdom in January 2022.[28] The band also performed as an opening act for In Flames on their tour of the United Kingdom in March 2022,[29] and for Spiritbox on two London dates in June 2022.[30][31]
2023–present: Negative Energy
On the day of Culling Culture's release, Targett's grandfather was hospitalized with pulmonary fibrosis.[32] Vexed was put on hiatus to allow her to care for him; he died three months later.[33] The other members of the band also lost family members and loved ones after the album's release.[34] The band attempted to work on new material in November 2021,[35] but struggled with writer's block; Harper stepped back from writing after a year.[36] Targett said that the band had tried to apply a positive "silver lining" to their songs due to the turmoil in their lives, but ultimately found it disingenuous.[32][34][36] After eight months,[37] they scrapped seven songs worth of material, saving only three or four riffs.[37] The band eventually decided to write about how they truly felt,[33][38] and wrote and recorded their second album, Negative Energy, in three months.[36] Meyrick de La Fuente returned as producer and also played bass on the album in place of Harper.[39]
Negative Energy features an overall heavier sound to their debut, reducing the use of clean vocals.[40] Whilst primarily addressing the subject of mourning and loss,[39] its also covers the music industry, religion, and mental health.[38][41] The album was released on 23 June 2023[42] to positive reviews.[43][44][45] Vexed embarked on a headlining tour of the United Kingdom in October 2023, supported by Pulse.[46] In an interview in December, Targett said that Vexed had plans to release an extended play featuring material written during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2024,[47] which did not materialise. The band toured Europe with Cabal in January 2024,[48] and toured the continent again supporting Carnifex in March and April.[49]
Vexed parted ways with Napalm following the release of Negative Energy.[50] In January and February 2025, Vexed toured Europe supporting Silent Planet,[51] which was their first tour without label backing.[50] The tour cost £34,000, of which the band were able to pay £20,000;[52] they launched a GoFundMe and organized a raffle and giveaways to recoup the remaining costs.[50] In August 2026, the band is scheduled to open for Kittie for three shows in Germany.[53]
Musical style and influences
Vexed have been described as alternative metal[26][38][44] and deathcore.[37][54][55] The band's sound also features elements of djent,[54][37] nu metal,[55][56] hip-hop[55] and grime.[55][57] The band's influences include Emmure,[58] King 810,[58] Limp Bizkit,[39] Megan Thee Stallion,[1][59] Meshuggah,[1] N.W.A.,[1] Thy Art Is Murder,[1] and Veil of Maya.[60] "Elite" was heavily inspired by Thy Art is Murder's Dear Desolation (2017),[1] whilst Negative Energy was influenced more by non-metal artists such as The Prodigy,[4][61][62] Sia, JME,[4] Rico Nasty and Lorn.[61]
Band members
Current
- Megan Targett – vocals (2019–present)
- Willem Mason-Geraghty – drums (2019–present)
- Olly Hall – guitar (2025–present)
Session and live members
- Meyrick de La Fuente – bass (2023–present)[39]
Former
- Callan Hughes – guitar (2019)
- Al Harper – bass (2019–2023)[citation needed]
- Jay Bacon – guitar (2019–2025)
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Elite" (featuring CJ McMahon)[8] | 2019 | Non-album single |
| "Dominate"[13] | ||
| "Hideous"[56] | 2021 | Culling Culture |
| "Epiphany"[63] | ||
| "Misery"[64] | ||
| "Fake"[65] | ||
| "Anti-Fetish"[66] | 2023 | Negative Energy |
| "X My <3 (Hope to Die)"[67] | ||
| "Trauma Euphoria"[68] | ||
| "Lay Down Your Flowers"[69] | ||
| "It's Not the End"[70] | 2024 |
Notes
- Vexed were previously booked to perform a number of shows prior to the 2019 UK Tech-Fest, but they were cancelled "due to circumstances outside of [the band's] control", according to Tagrett.[1] The band had been scheduled to play their debut headline show at the Black Heart in London on 28 June 2019;[11] the venue was raided by the authorities before the band could take the stage.[15]