One of the goals we set ourselves at Indieterria this year was to offer an in-depth coverage of artists we believe set high standards on the indie circuit. Not just occasional article or a review, but detailed writing following their releases. Hence why you can see quite a few features on Jade the Nightmare, The Red Stains, JW Paris or Cinnamon Babe. We want to show that you can analyse certain musicians from different angles while they continue to produce a quality body of work. We believe that championing musicians who go against the stream or fashions is important. Counter- culture is based on misfits, people with a vision, underdogs and fresh interpretations. You will never have progress by looking back and these days the alt scene is full of nostalgia and projects that try to reinvent the wheel.
SCUM EP cover made by BEX
Moreover, we see big labels put together acts made of very young girls, who have absolutely no say in what music they play or how they look. If that doesn’t anger you then you are not paying attention. To know why a healthy, independent and authentic counter culture is vital for society as a whole, then please read this great article from EUREOPEANA.
Another artist that we profiled a lot on Indieterria in 2023 is BEX. And to my eyes she is one of the most significant artists the independent circuit in the UK has to offer. She is signed to Scruff of the Neck, but before she landed the gig, BEX was already known to the public due to her music and tailoring skills.
At twenty years old BEX is designing clothes, making her own merch, self-producing her music and is responsible for all promotional posters and collages. Now, don’t get the idea that BEX is a prodigy and we want to put her on a pedestal. That would be offensive to the amount of work she has put into her image and art over the years. The `secret` to BEX` success is that she simply made plans for what she wanted to do and continued towards her goals.
BEX by Josh Paine (also the bassist in her band)
BEX has also a set of values and beliefs and she is vocal about them. Again, as an artist you don’t need to be an activist but it always helps to stand for something – especially if one of your influences is Rage Against the Machine.
On October 27th BEX released her EP debut EP “Scum” and it was such a joy to sink my teeth into the record for a review. Composed of six songs (“Filfy”, “Don`t Date The Devil”, “Chained Into My Brain”, “Trust No One”, “SPYD4 K1NG” and “Misogynistic Dicks”), the EP alternates between unreleased tracks and already published material. Sadly, it omits my favourite track “Slave 2 The Grind” but you can’t have everything. What you get is almost twenty minutes of a mix of raw punk, grunge, nu metal, industrial and horror score, four singles and four original videos.
BEX is in her element. From industrial inspired “SPYD4 K1NG” to the punky anthem on “Trust No One” to “Chained Into My Brain” that could easily be a lost Korn track, she shows a range of her musical abilities. Bex can rap, growl and shriek. Her vocals can be both clean and melodic and harsh and coarse the very next minute. If you throw Paramore, Kittie and Jack Off Jill into a blender and mix it well, you are more likely to get a concoction that says BEX on it. I mean there are moments on the record where you can swear you listen to Mary Timony (Helium) or Valierie Kaye of Pist.On. Seconds later you are wondering why BEX is not on a US tour supporting Coal Chamber or Butcher Babies. This is no rock release – this is a proper metal album with influences across the alternative rock spectrum.
A wild card on the EP is “Misogonistic Dicks” – that track should have been released as a duet with Delilah Bon. It is a dream collaboration and I hope one day it will be done, even if in the live setting.
Besides firecracker of an attitude and youthful intensity, there is a well-produced and mature record. “Scum” is a representation of my life, my emotions, my suppressed feelings” – explains BEX – “It is an EP to join everyone as one. When writing I felt alone. Now it’s here, it’s here to bring us together, to remind us we live in the same world, we face similar battles, we are fighting the same war. It represents US.”
I could write a whole essay about how polarized and fragmented our musical scene is, how most of the artists are disenfranchised and left to fight for scraps. And here is a very young artist who is making her music for unity and co-operation.
BEX is the future. She has artistic vision and drive. She only competes with herself and the result is music that speaks to old farts like me and the kids in the pit. What more do you want?
Again for the people at the top of the music industry, maybe you are too far up there to actually see what is happening on the ground. Support women. Instead of throwing at us another industry plant, start signing and supporting women and girls on the scene. We have enough talent. What we need is support, access to options and mentoring- not exploitation.
Our coverage so far:
https://vanadianavenue.co.uk/2023/04/29/bex-slave-2-the-grind-single-review/
https://vanadianavenue.co.uk/2022/12/08/indieterria-meets-bex/
https://vanadianavenue.co.uk/2022/05/16/bex-tiptoe-single-review/
Follow BEX on socials at:
https://www.bexofficial.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/bex.b.e.x/
https://www.tiktok.com/@bex.b.e.x
https://www.facebook.com/bexbexmusic
https://twitter.com/BEXBEXMUSIC
https://soundcloud.com/bexbexmusic
https://www.patreon.com/BEXBEX
https://www.youtube.com/@BEXBEXMUSIC/videos
https://open.spotify.com/artist/3uqAKGSytLJJuLy4BPlY38
BEX clothes design and shop: https://www.bexofficial.co.uk/collections/all
Additional readings and reviews for the EP (because you don’t have to believe us it is a great record):
https://joyzine.org/2023/10/30/ep-review-bex-scum/
https://distortedsoundmag.com/ep-review-scum-bex/
https://www.scenemusicmedia.com/music/album-review-bex-scum-ep
Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 
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