The boys are back in town—and Bristol made sure they knew it. Few bands embody the word homecoming quite like RXPTRS, and Friday night at The Exchange was a full-throttle reminder of why they remain the city’s most electrifying hard rock export. High-octane, deeply emotive, and powered by an almost dangerous level of crowd interaction, this was RXPTRS at their purest: visceral, volatile, and absolutely unmissable.
The sold-out main room was already brimming with anticipation before the quintet—Simon Roach (vocals), Ian Chadderton (guitar), Harley Watson (guitar), Sam Leworthy (bass), and Mat Capper (drums)—even stepped foot on stage. This wasn’t just another hometown gig; it was the closing night of their UK headline run, a tour that’s earned rave reviews from Glasgow to London, and a release party for their latest single, Stray From the Sociopath. With a steady stream of new music teased throughout 2025, fans arrived hungry, eager to hear tracks they’d only had the chance to stream—now unleashed live in the flesh.
From the off, RXPTRS made their intentions brutally clear. Where some bands build to a crescendo, these guys throw you headfirst into the fire. Opening with Demons in My Headphones, the room immediately dissolved into chaos. Arms, legs, and voices filled the air, as the crowd spat every lyric back with venom.
At the centre of it all, Simon Roach cemented his status as one of Bristol’s most magnetic frontmen. He doesn’t just lead a crowd—he bends it to his will. Whether barking orders to open the pit or orchestrating mass singalongs, he turned The Exchange into his personal playground. A giant game of Simon says. Of course, his showmanship is only possible because the rest of the band lay such a monstrous foundation. Chadderton and Watson’s guitars cut like blades, Leworthy’s bass rumbled through the floorboards, and Capper’s drumming gave the set its relentless heartbeat.
New single Stray From the Sociopath landed early, its venomous groove paired perfectly with fellow 2025 release Right Back Down for a devastating one-two punch. One of the band’s most endearing traits is how they lace their sets with sly nods to their influences—not full covers, but fragments and riffs that tip the hat to their heroes. Tonight, flashes of Audioslave, Rob Zombie, and Linkin Park crept into transitions, sparking fever pitch levels of excitement as their crowd clocked them.
By the time the set thundered toward its finale, the room had gone feral. Sweat and beer sprayed across the pit as Bound tore through the speakers, igniting the final eruption of carnage. Stage-divers sailed overhead—Simon among them, keeping tradition alive by hurling himself into the throng during the last track.
When the lights came up, the room was a mess of sweat-drenched bodies, aching limbs, and irrepressible grins. That’s the thing about an RXPTRS show—it never feels like just a gig. It feels like a party where the line between band and crowd completely disappears. And as Bristol roared their approval, one thing was obvious: it’s good to have them home.
@thebristolnomad / @bristolnomad_gigphotography
Role: Photographer / Reviewer / Interviewer
Chief, the one that bugs the team for team for their reviews and images. Creator and founder of The Bristol Gig Guide. Can usually be found swamped in admin or getting cramp kneeling at the front of a gig.
Available for: Gig Shoots, Gig Reviews, Photo Shoots, Album and Single cover shoots, Videography work, Interviews and Touring
First attended gig: Republica, circa 1996.
First gig shot: Hands Off Gretel, at The Louisiana!
Dream gig: Huge metalhead and my ultimate dream gig would be shooting my heroes Slipknot at a huge stadium gig, or as festival headliners. And to experience shooting a headline tour outside the UK
