In a Wall of Death show, motorcycles circle the vertical wall of a cylindrical arena while spectators look down from its rim. The Ken Fox troupe preserves the combination of vintage Indian Scout motorcycles, engine noise and close proximity to the audience. It is a living tradition of travelling entertainment.
Fox grew up in Skegness, where his family’s shooting arcade stood opposite such an attraction. At sixteen he became an apprentice rider. After working for other owners, he had his own wall built in 1995; its travelling debut came at the Rempstone Steam Rally.
Craftsmanship sits behind the brief performance. Fox handled joinery and painting during the new wall’s construction, a twenty-week project. The troupe tours Britain and Europe during summer, then spends winter maintaining both the motorcycles and the wall itself.
His sons Luke and Alex have also carried the family’s experience forward. Here, a motorcycle is both a working machine and a performer: its value lies in the skills that keep it running and bring it before an audience. At a show, the wooden arena deserves attention too, as an essential part of the surviving tradition.