Seattle's Bexley are proof that rock and roll is far from dead

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INTERVIEW: Alessandro DeCaro
PHOTOS: Bella Petro

 

Seattle-based hard rock outfit Bexley are living proof that rock and roll is far from dead. With guitars cranked up to eleven, soaring vocals, and a strong DIY mentality, Bexley are a breath of fresh air in a scene that has been guilty of playing it safe recently. Instead of the glossy, over-produced sounds that plague the modern radio rock sphere, Bexley aims to be analog in a primarily digital world, bringing guitar music back to its rawest and most primal form. 

Formed in Los Angeles in 2018 by husband and wife duo Amanda Hardy (Vocals, Guitar) and Steve Costello (Guitar), Bexley draws inspiration from a broad range of influences, from grunge icons such as Alice In Chains and Soundgarden to the modern masters of sludge, Queens Of The Stone Age. Bexley has built a distinct identity centered around Hardy's dynamic vocal range, sounding like a spiritual relative to the late, great Chris Cornell and the guitar work of Costello, who lays down thick, chunking riffs that would give even Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page a run for his money. 

After rising to prominence in 2019 following the release of their  EP Lost in the Moment, which spawned the breakout single "Run Rabbit Run," which has gone on to be streamed well over a million times to date, Bexley hunkered down during the COVID-19 pandemic, only to reemerge with their bold and lyrically vulnerable debut full-length album, Bexley in 2021. Bexley's self-titled album incorporated a heavier sound, which, as a result, opened many more doors for the band in the process.

In recent years, Bexley has released several new, politically-inspired singles, such as the timely "Save Me, Save Us All" and the feminist anthem "Female Hysteria," to warm response.  It's no surprise that the band's timeless sound has allowed them to captivate audiences everywhere, from the US and Canada — all the way to the UK and Europe.  Following a slew of high-profile tours with the likes of Dead Poet Society and Scene Queen, respectively, Bexley has relocated to the grunge capital of the world, Seattle, and is gearing up for the next chapter of their career, which is sure to be filled with incendiary live performances and heavy-hitting, no-frills rock and roll. 

 

We caught up with Bexley's Amanda Hardy and Steve Costello to discuss the band's origins, their creative process as a married couple, touring highlights, and more.

 

Walk me through the origins of your musical journey leading up to the formation of Bexley. If I'm not mistaken, Amanda, you began writing songs very young. When did you realize songwriting was in your blood and music was your calling? 

Amanda Hardy: I wrote a lot of poetry as an introspective eight-year-old, which eventually morphed into me singing and learning guitar at thirteen. My grandfather was also a poet, so maybe that's why. [Laughs.] 


Can you remember the first song you ever wrote? 

Hardy: Aside from pretending to be on American Idol and writing audition songs, I wrote a song called "City Of Sorrow" when I was thirteen. It sounded very similar to Screaming Trees' "Nearly Lost You." I'll also have to give my Dad credit because he helped me write it, too. [Laughs.] 


Speaking of cities of sorrow, you grew up in the beautiful yet eternally dark and gloomy city of Seattle. What was it like growing up in a city with such a rich musical history, and how did it bleed into your own art? 

Hardy: For me, it was awesome because once I started getting into bands, I was able to go play all of the places where my favorite bands used to play. I don't know why I have an affinity for darker music, but I just do. Alice In Chains is my favorite band, so I was really happy to be in the city where they are from. 


After years of mainly playing solo under your name, Amanda Hardy, you would eventually link up with your future bandmate, songwriting partner, and husband, Steve Costello, to create Bexley. How did the two of you meet and begin this creative partnership? 

Steve Costello: Amanda was writing what would become Lost In The Moment, the first Bexley EP with a producer named Aaron Edwards. My first contribution was recording and editing the drums for the project, and I just thought the songs were sick. I don't want to say you were having an identity crisis, but you didn't want to be known as the "Amanda Hardy Band" and knew you wanted a proper band name. We landed on the name Bexley, which we stole from a dumpster. It said "Bexley" with a big city crest, and we were like, "That's neat!" [Laughs.] 

Hardy: It's also a town in England where my Dad's side of the family is from. It's like a borough of London. 

Costello: After that, we started playing shows under the name Bexley. Soon after finishing the first EP, we started writing all of the music together going forward. 

Hardy: I met Steve very early in my life at the NAAM music conference, and we fell in love immediately. 

Costello: Yeah, NAAM is the most romantic place on earth. [Laughs.] 


Touching on your 2019 debut EP, Lost In The Moment, this release spawned your breakout single "Run Rabbit Run," which has amassed well over a million streams. Did you feel this song would take off the way it did? 

Hardy: We honestly didn't know what to expect. We worked with a management and publicity team for that song, and it really took off in the playlisting world, which we also have to thank (Former Global Head of Rock at Spotify) Allison Haggendorf for. It was played in gyms across America, and we got many messages from people saying they had seen our music video at the gym. [Laughs.] I'm super grateful for this song, and though we were still finding our way as a new project,  I'm glad it resonated with people and served as a good launching pad for our future sound. 


Your 2021 debut self-titled album, Bexley, established your next sonic evolution, incorporating darker, heavier tones and subject matter. What inspired these changes, and what was it like putting this entire body of work together? 

Hardy: We wrote and recorded a lot of the album during the COVID-19 lockdowns and not to play the pandemic card, but we were all kind of thinking, "What the fuck is the future going to look like?" So, this album is super introspective and every song goes through different levels of emotions. We came out of the recording feeling super proud because it was something that three best friends, including our drummer at the time, Tosh Peterson (Filter, JXDN, MGK,) did together. 

Costello: None of the recordings were in an "actual" recording studio; they were all in apartments, garages, or random houses. We even did the "If We Have to Die" music video in our kitchen against a white wall. [Laughs.] It was the epitome of DIY.


In recent years, the band has shifted to releasing new singles steadily and further expanding the heavier sound you've developed. You have also started incorporating more worldly/political topics within your lyrics. Instead of looking inward from a lyrical standpoint, what did you feel you needed to address about the outside world with your newer music?

Hardy: One of the first political songs we put out was "Save Me, Save Us All," which was written when the Ukraine/Russia war was breaking out. Everyone was up in arms about World War 3 starting. Though it's not specifically about that, it's more so about corruption within the system. We also touch on women's rights with our song "Female Hysteria," which is a play on the term "hysteria" doctors would diagnose women with if they were acting quote-unquote crazy, too sexually active, emotional, or really anything. If you listen to the song's lyrics, it's about all that with a touch of irony. 


Obviously, Bexley prides itself on being a commanding presence in live music. What are some of your fondest memories of playing live in terms of shows and tours you have been a part of? 

Costello: After the pandemic we did the Austin City Limits festival, which was a really cool experience to play the record to a ton of people who had never heard of us before. From there, we got to a tour opening for Dead Poet Society in the UK. It was the same concept where no one knew who we were at first, but by the end of every show, people were going off having an awesome time and we'd end up selling out of all of our merch. 


Y'all seem to thrive in those settings where you can win over a new audience. 

Costello: This is not a cocky thing, but if you give us a stage of people, we will typically win them over. That's what we like. 

Hardy: We also opened for Scene Queen at a couple of her shows in Europe this past June. The crowds were super cool and very accepting. 

Costello: We have very little similarity to Scene Queen musically, but I think it was very well received in terms of messaging and attitude. It's cool being about to float between different styles of music where we shouldn't fit, yet somehow, it works. 


How does being a married couple factor into your creative process? 

Hardy: We have always been best friends. We're the weird couple who never wants to be apart from each other. [Laughs.] We really enjoy each other's company, and if we're going to do anything, it's going to be together. Writing music together is a huge blessing because we both want to do that with our lives. When we write music we get the same emotions and frustrations when we can't figure something out. Still, we always have the option to decompress from that together. 

Costello: We both compliment each other's strengths. Amanda's songwriting and singing is miles further than mine. In contrast, I know how to do things technologically with production and engineering. Knowing each other so well, it creates a safer space. However, you never get to walk away from it at the end of the day. We only have each other to bicker at. [Laughs.] 


What is next for the future of Bexley? 

Hardy: We are desperate for an opening slot on a tour, so if anyone reading this in a band wants to bring us out, we're easy, we take up one bunk. [Laughs.] We're also deep in writing mode and want to do a collection of songs next, whether an EP or an album. 

Costello: We want to find the next evolution of our sound. We've been experimenting with new tones, song structures and everything so that's where it's at. We want the new music to feel different and in a new vein but still recognizable.

Watch Bexley's video for "Sick" Below

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