Roxy Music Concerts Setlist

Roxy Music is an English rock band. They were formed in 1970 in London, United Kingdom. The founding members were lead singer Bryan Ferry (born in 1945 in Washington, UK) and bassist Graham Simpson (1943, Manchester, UK).

Ferry used to teach ceramics in a girl’s school in London. However, he was fired for playing records for the students in some of his classes instead of teaching the subject. So, he teamed up with his friend Simpson, whom he used to play with in a band back in his college years, to form another band. They put out advertisements, looking for more musicians to complete the line-up. Brian Eno joined as a synth player, Andy Mackay as a saxophone, oboe player, and a keyboardist. Later, David O’List too joined as a guitarist. Ferry originally named his new band “Roxy”, but had to change it to “Roxy Music”, as the former name was already taken by an American rock band.

They started giving early Roxy Music concert shows across Britain, and recorded demo tapes as well. Thankfully, Ferry had some music industry connections. Earlier, he had auditioned for the successful progressive rock band “King Crimson” who were looking for a new lead singer. While they did not pick Ferry at the end of the day, they were still impressed with his voice and kept in touch. The people at King Crimson helped Ferry’s new band get a contract with the label E.G. Records. Meanwhile, O’List failed to show up to a rehearsal and thus was replaced by Phil Manzanera. In 1972, co-founder Simpson sadly had to leave the band too: he fell into a deep depression after his mother had died from cancer, and could not perform to the level he wanted.

Roxy Music’s self-titled debut album, “Roxy Music”, came out in June 1972. It became quite a hit, reaching the #10 spot on the OCC chart in the UK, while also charting high in Australia. The standout track of the record was “Virginia Plain”. They released 4 more albums between 1972 and 1975. However, in 1976, the band announced its official dismantlement, with its members moving on to solo projects, This hiatus only lasted 2 years, as Roxy Music was back together recording a new album by 1978, that album came out in 1979.

Overall, the British rock band has released 8 studio albums over the years. The best selling one among them is “Avalon” from May 1982, which sold around 2.1 million copies worldwide. It is the latest new Roxy Music album to date.

Roxy Music has been breaking up and reuniting back and forth for decades. The last break-up occurred in 2011. However, in 2022, the band is back together again, going on a grand 50th anniversary Roxy Music concert tour in the UK and US. The biggest hits in the Roxy Music setlist to date are “Love is a Drug” (1975), “More Than This” (1982), and “Avalon” (also 1982, same title as their album). With its hectic history, Roxy Music’s line-up has seen many changes over the years. Currently, it’s made up of co-founder Bryan Ferry on the lead vocals, Andy Mackay on the saxophone, oboe, and keyboard, Phil Manzanera on the lead guitar, and Paul Thompson on the drums.