In Conversation With Tony Fox

Androgynous and mysterious, Jessica Cox - known under the moniker Tony Fox - uses the alter ego to create trance-like, kraut-rock-esque cuts alongside two bandmates. Wholly DIY through collaboration, the self-funded project has come to a head with the release of Tony Fox's debut record - 'Holy Dancing Girls'. 

Hailing from the depths of Cornwall, the album explores burnout and isolation through purposefully layered, haunting soundscapes. Just under a month after its unveiling, we chat with Cox about the Fox character and her journey into music, and creativity coming from being void of distractions.


Introduce yourself and where you’re from.

I’m Jessica Cox, a singer, guitar player, writer, and composer for Tony Fox.



What have you got coming up that you’re most excited for? 


We have a gig coming up in Camden, London, and will be doing a UK tour for our album in 2027.



Talk to us about your band name - who or what’s to blame for its inception?


Tony Fox is my alias. My middle name is Antonia. However, I have also made Tony Fox into a character, someone that nobody really knows apart from the fox, who comes to every gig.



What or who would you say is to blame for your music career?


Music from a young age was my escape, somewhere where life was an adventure and colourful. My parents got me into 60s and 70s music from a young age. I would get passed an album to take and listen to properly. I’d immerse myself and get something from each album. My father was rock and roll, and that sense that anything is possible and that people had something to really say is important to me in music. I also used to listen deeply to lyrics and wrote poems from a very young age. I started with piano, but the guitar was easier to travel around with, so that became where I composed most of my songs. Later I would visit my dad in the wilds of Scotland, where there were no distractions and the songs really just came to me.



Who are the biggest musical inspirations for the sound you’ve curated?


The Velvet Underground, The Fall, Life Without Buildings, and Minami Deutsch were all bands I was listening to and had an influence on me musically during the creation of the album. I'd say lyrically, growing up listening to Dylan and Joni Mitchell, and musically I'd say Hendrix and The Doors had a big impact.



What’s been your biggest ‘I’ve made it’ moment so far? 


I don’t think I have felt like that yet, but seeing my album up live and in print with Krautpop has been an amazing achievement.



Sum up your sound in three words


Raw. Power. Energy.



Lana Marshall

@lanatakesphotos / @_lanaajade

Image: Abby Lynch

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