U.K. pop/R&B band Rixton is burning up the charts these days with their hit song, “Me and My Broken Heart” — and breaking a few hearts of their own in the process. Taking a break from their crazy busy schedule, lead singer Jake Roche gave us the 411 on this hot new band.
1. Jake Roche is the baby of the group.
Jake Roche is the newest member of the group to hit the legal drinking age in the States. “Oh yeah, I’m actually the youngest,” he told us. “I’m the baby! I’m 21, and then Danny [Wilkin]’s 24, Lewi [Morgan]’s 26 and Charley [Bagnall]’s 28. So Charlie is literally an old man.” Since the fellas were in the U.S. when Roche turned 21, the older guys took him out to celebrate. “It got pretty wild,” he admitted. “They put me to bed, so that was fun.”
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2. Danny Wilkin had never left the U.K. before touring.
Before making it to the U.S. with the band, Wilkin hadn’t strayed far from home. “Danny had actually never been on a plane, believe it or not,” Roche told us. “He just stayed in the U.K. So this was the first time he actually went on a plane, and it was to America. This was all very bizarre and very new to him, but exciting nonetheless.”
3. American climatology kind of amazes them.
The guys readily confess to loving plenty of things about America, but you might be surprised by the thing Roche said the band is particularly enamored with. “Just how you can be in, like, a really hot part of America, and then you get on an airplane and travel for three hours and it be really cold,” Roche replied when asked about things in America he’s fond of. “It feels like you’ve gone to a totally different country.”
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4. They’re what you might call “mama’s boys.”
When it comes to what they miss most when they are on tour, Roche didn’t hesitate to admit their families aren’t far from their minds. “We get kinda homesick. I think my main thing is not having my mum around to wash my clothes, that kind of stuff,” he laughed, noting it’s hard being away from his mum’s cooking for prolonged periods. “But it comes with the territory, and we just feel very fortunate to be doing what we’re doing.”
5. All of the guys have different, um, strengths.
According to Roche, the fellas all bring something different to the table. Bagnall, he said, is the quietest yet also the funniest. He’d give the title of smartest to Wilkin. As for Lewi? Well, Roche gave Morgan the honor of being the biggest ladies’ man, as well as the loudest. And something else, too. When we asked who would end up killing first if the band crashed on a deserted island, Roche laughed. “I reckon Lewi would,” he said. “Lewi would be that kind of barbaric, live on a hill in Pompeii, Castaway-type character.”
6. Roche doesn’t think much of his skills with the ladies.
They say being in a band ups your game, but you couldn’t tell it by Roche. “Oh, my game is terrible. I’m awful. If there was a ranking on who’s got the best game in the world, I would probably be near the bottom — I’m that bad,” he admitted. However, he did admit things got a little wild during their Vegas residency. “I can’t really tell you why,” he teased, “but it was a good time.”
7. High-speed chases? Been there, done that.
Rixton has some pretty hard-core fans. During a recent visit to New York, the police even had to be called to keep the crazies under control. “We came out of a studio in New York and saw these fans across the road,” Roche remembered, “and as soon as we got into the car, they got into their car. So we were like, ‘Well, that’s strange. They didn’t ask for a picture or anything, they just got away.’ But as soon as we took off, they just tailed us and they started following us back to the hotel, so we literally had to dodge in and out of traffic trying to lose them. It was really exciting, actually,” he laughed. “It was the highlight of the week.”
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8. These boys dig country music, y’all.
While Roche said he couldn’t necessarily think of any music they listen to on repeat that people might consider embarrassing, he was quick to point out that they’re really into one particular type of music right now. “At the moment, we just love country music. Country music isn’t big over here yet, so if you say you like country music, they’re like, ‘What?’ Like, they have no idea what it is,” he explained.
9. Their ideal downtime would likely include sweatpants.
Yes, the guys are incredibly grateful for the fact that they’re super busy. But still… Roche said they’d probably add a few more low-key days into their repertoire if possible. “Sometimes I miss waking up in the middle of the day, going downstairs, pouring some cereal and leaving the cereal box out, watching TV and just kind of slobbing out all day,” he said.
10. They kind of think Americans need to give themselves a break.
From the outside looking in, the American dream is rife with stress. “I just worry a bit that everyone has anxiety,” Roche said. “Everyone just seems to be kind of nervous over there and kind of bordering a bit on panicky. They just need to chill out and go down to the local pub and have a nice beer, a bit of fish and chips, and I think everything will be just fine.”
For more info about Rixton, including tour dates, visit their website at rixtonband.com.
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