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After what seems like the longest winter break ever and an interminable long January, we’re finally back on the gig trail. Tonight we popped over to our favourite place, KK’s Steel Mill to catch guitar impresario Sophie Lloyd and she had brought along an explosive young star to support her.

BEX (9) are a three piece, but not in a traditional sense. BEX is also the front woman. BEX is BEX. BEX is two bass players and a drummer. BEX is punk. The music is ferocious, distorted, chaotic. Frontwoman BEX is a pocket dynamo that makes the most of the big stage here. Clad in a DIY bondage version of the infamous Ginger Spice dress, she is feisty and spicy, playing with the bemused audience which is made up of predominantly middle age classic rock fans.

The music may be ferocious, but it’s deeply personal. Songs like Tiptoe and Silence speak of the darker side of the subjugation of women and the need to stand up and speak out, a constant battle to be heard and not disregarded or discarded. Evoking memories of the Riotgrrrl movement of the 90s, comparisons will be made. Echoes of pioneering bands like Bikini Kill and Jack Off Jill who themselves took inspiration from bands such as The Runaways and X-Ray Spex, but the songs are definitely 21st century. It will be interesting to see how BEX develops from here. Can she/they keep their punk independence and ethos or will they be churned up by the big corporate music machine, time will tell.

A young woman who has gone down the more traditional path to rock stardom is guitarist Sophie Lloyd (8). For nigh on 15 years she has been building a reputation using the power of social media to showcase her prowess on the guitar, firstly by putting out Youtube videos doing covers and building up a strong fan base, then getting noticed by artists looking for a solid session and touring guitarist. Her big break came in 2022 when Machine Gun Kelly enlisted her for his tour, bringing her to a whole new audience.

With her Youtube channel boasting over a million subscribers and some of her videos getting 7 or 8 million views, getting some big names to be guest vocalists on her debut album Imposter Syndrome was made a whole lot easier. The likes of Nathan James (Inglorious), Chris Robertson (Black Stone Cherry), Lzzy Hale and even Michael Starr of Steel Panther were just a few of the artists that were happy to collaborate.

Unfortunately, Sophie doesn’t have the clout or the big bucks to bring some of these artists on tour with her, so vocal duties fall to her good friend Marisa Rodriguez of Marisa And The Moths. The set comprises of a mixture of instrumental covers of rock and metal classics such as Thunderstruck, The Trooper and Enter Sandman, where Sophie gets to show off her shredding skills, and interspersed with tracks from her album.

Sophie’s skill on the six string is phenomenal, She’s a natural and puts everything into it, and she has around her a band that supports her with equally good musicianship. We’ve seen some fantastic guitar legends on the stage here at KK’s Steel Mill in recent years, Malmsteen, Uli Jon Roth, Lita and Schenker some of the most notable, and Sophie would not be out of place with any of those superstars.

So, for a first gig back and the first gig at KK’s for 2026, it was a blinder. It’s going to be interesting to see where BEX goes as the year develops, whereas Sophie has the rock world at her feet right now, two ends of the spectrum. What a great way to start the