GIFT bring their psychedelic rush to London at the Lexington
7 October 2026 | Written by Antonia Vlad
Brooklyn-based band GIFT played their first-ever show in London at the Lexington on 24 September to celebrate the announcement of their new album, Frenzy For The Thrill, which is out 15 January 2027.
As part of the new album, they released an early single, ‘Hand To The Flame’, and performed it during their extensive nine-day UK tour, which included major cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Bristol. The single was premiered by Craig Charles on BBC Radio 6 Music.
The psychedelic rock/dream pop quintet is made up of TJ Freda on lead vocals, Jessica Gurewitz on synths, vocals and guitar, Kallan Campbell on bass, Justin Hrabovsky on synths and guitar, and Gabe Camarano on drums.
In an interview with TJ Freda, he told me that he moved from his hometown of Boston to New York in 2018 and wanted to “sink his teeth” into the city, while attending as many shows as he could to get inspiration for his songs.
TJ met his future bandmates Kallan, Gabe and Justin in the new city; however, he was friends with Jessica beforehand, and she eagerly told TJ that he was ‘not allowed’ to start a band without her. The next day, she went to their band practice, and the rest is history.
GIFT was a pandemic baby, as the band began during the midst of the pandemic before releasing their 2022 debut, Momentary Presence. After touring their 2024 album, Illuminator, TJ was left fatigued for some time and moved to LA, where he didn’t intend to focus on his music career. Yet, instead, it followed him.
At the Lexington, the band performed on an intimate stage under a backdrop of dark red and blue lights that added more mystique to their already alluring persona. As a band, they had an evident chemistry on stage, interacting with each other throughout the show. TJ also spoke to the audience, asking how they were feeling, which was very sweet!
TJ said that he’s forever grateful for the band, mentioning that he couldn’t have gotten this project on its feet without them.
While discussing the message that the band wants their listeners to take from the album when it is released, TJ said: “It’s supposed to be a chaotic charge forward to something that’s enticing or seducing you.”
“I hope everyone sees this as a cathartic energy dump, whether it’s good or bad. I like the idea of the album having the duality of feeling really good when listening to it, but also kind of pissed off.”
Essentially, the album explores the feeling of being an artist without disappearing into it.
‘Hand To The Flame’ is a euphoric, driving slice of psychedelic indie rock with shoegaze guitars and a dark, intoxicating edge.
TJ commented: “‘Hand To The Flame’ is holding onto passion, and what makes us human while the world falls apart.”