When Marin-based guitarist Nick George first met up with San Francisco drummer Augustus Tagaro, he couldn’t quite believe how similar their musical tastes were. Together, as indie-rock duo the Injex, George and Tagaro perform a heavy rock-and-roll that effortlessly combines noise-rock, Brit-pop and shades of shoegaze in its rhythm-centric, lo-fi sound.
Double Shot
George—a British native who’s lived in the Bay Area since 2014—was originally interested in forming a power-rock duo or trio in the vein of bands like Blood Red Shoes and Royal Blood, groups out of Brighton, England beloved in Europe but far less known in the states.
“I put an ad out for a drummer and listed some bands,” George says. “About two months later, he (Tagaro) put out an ad that was so similar that I thought someone was trying to scam me. We were looking for exactly the same bands.”
Forming a little more than a year ago, the Injex plays up their cross-Atlantic partnership. “(Tagaro) brings the American rhythm and drive and swagger, and I’m trying to add an English edge to the style,” George says. “We like to call ourselves dirty, sexy indie-rock, but we’re approaching it in a more artistic way. We’re trying to more than just turn up and play; we like to do something a bit different.”
To that end, George and Tagaro add projected visuals, lights and even a bit of body paint to their live shows, ensuring an entertaining and energetic vibe that’s proved a hit with audiences.
On Friday, Dec. 20, the Injex performs at Peri’s Silver Dollar in Fairfax as part of a benefit that supports Bay Area nonprofit group Care Through Touch, who provide massage therapy, pain reduction therapy and other holistic offerings free of charge to underserved members of the community.
“We really like what they do, I think they do incredibly important work,” George says. “Giving people who are less fortunate attention, physical attention—I can see how important that is.”
Oakland band Carrion Heart and new rock outfit Psychic Friends Network join the Injex for the concert, and George notes all the bands have members who are either involved in or connected to Care Through Touch in some way.
“It felt like a really nice fit,” George says. “It’s something we can do as musicians; put on a show and try to raise a bit of money.”
