Red Rum Club Single Review

On a gloriously sunny Tuesday evening Red Rum Club tempted  music fans down into the dark basement dancefloor of Moles club, Bath to  listen to their unique brand of alternative rock. The first thing you notice  with Red Rum Club is the sheer volume and pace that they play, it is a  wonderful sight to see a six piece set up with the added flavour of a trumpet.

This was the first time the band have dipped their toe in  the Bath gigging scene and they picked Moles, the iconic Bath venue which has  graced such legends as The Smiths, Oasis, and more recently Ed Sheeran. Red  Rum club brought a sizeable crowd for their first gig in this particular part  of the South West and should be encouraged to see the mix of people, in terms  or age and gender, that attended, showing the widespread appeal of their  music. 

This tour is about exploring all corners of the UK and  letting loose the ‘Matador’ album tracks which was released in January of this  year, here it was met with a great reaction with spontaneous dancing popping  up everywhere in this cavernous party. 

Fran is an engaging and intriguing front person belting out  lyrics to songs like ‘TV said so’, ‘Angeline’, and ‘Matador’ which got a  delightful reaction from their fan base, the band have a polished sound which  blends nicely with Fran’s rustic vocals and the softer harmonies of the  backing vocals of the five other band members. You can’t help but notice your  body uncontrollably bounce around when the lads turn up the tempo of their  instruments and smash out track like ‘Remedy’ and ‘Honey’, but it is the  natural response to the levels of energy displayed on stage. 

Red Rum Club are funny, cheeky, and have great stage  presence, but it is made even better when they match this with their great  pop-rock beats and sounds. It becomes more than a music gig and more of a rock  house party with the six band members leading you astray. 

We were gifted two brilliant supporting acts tonight, first  on was Azuli who seem to be in the early development stage of their sound but  they provide a good display of Indie rhythm and their song ‘Forget my name’ is  a cracker. Then the always on form October Drift cranked up the dial and  delivered only a performance that October Drift have in their locker, great  rock music and banging lyrics laced with an absorbing visual performance.

Red Rum Club and October Drift still have a handful of  dates left on this tour, so check them out if you can!

Written by Kess Anthony 

This debut album from RRC could be considered brave but you get the feeling the band understand their sound and are not being brave at all, just proudly making their stance. 

The relatively large sixpiece band from Liverpool is made up of; Fran Doran, Tom Williams, Michael McDermott, Simon Hepworth, Neil Lawson and Joe Corby, show they can produce a radio ready songs from the start. Track 1, Angeline, gives fast and lively kick to proceedings!

Lyrically the record shows that Red Rum Club have established their song writing craft. On first listen some of the tracks felt reminiscent of Manic Street Preachers, which is never a bad comparison. It takes great inspiration to make great songs, and they’re well on their way with this album. Throughout the album you pick up on refreshing layers, such as Joe’s trumpeting, which give an added texture to their songs and makes their alternative rock style unique compared to other competing bands on the scene, at the moment.

Track 8, Casanova, this one has a twinkle in it’s much like the song's namesake. Fran demonstrates a different style of singing compared to the other songs, which captures the energy and fun which the melody demands and deserves. it’s like Casanova is gleefully asking you to stay around to listen to the song again and you know you will. 

Midway through the album Red Rum Club seem to slow down the tempo for ‘Nobody gets out alive’ and ‘Calexico’ which don’t leave the same impression as the tracks that have come before them. But follow with songs like ‘Casanova’ and ‘Remedy’ grabs back your attention and leaves an impression that the album you’re listening to will return to the faster catcher rhymes of the opening tracks. The statement of ‘Remedy’ is you’re going to be “drunk on a potion” but the listener is more likely to get drunk on Red Rum Club and the only remedy left to prescribe is to listen to the last track on the album Matador

Matador is a song with a story worth ending this album, you feel the pain and anguish of the bull who is obsessed with the powerful taunting Matador. This track has a steady drum beat providing the groundwork for this story to be told with a wonderful flow of sound.

However, our highlight of this album has to be ‘TV said so’ it is a great song which wouldn’t be hard to imagine getting a crowd excited live! Red Rum Club and their album Matador is a club which you will want to join, don’t be surprised if you listen to this album and find yourself signing up to be a fan of their music.

We give it 4 out of 5 Hooks,

Written By Kess Anthony