Red Rum Club Single Review
Track Title: Kids Addicted
Release Date: 27th September 2019
The massively likable and fun six piece band from Liverpool, Red Rum Club, are back following up from their successful album Matador which rode high in the official vinyl album Charts earlier this year. When you have a sound which is established with a lot of fans every new track is really important to keep the momentum going, but Red Rum Club do not need to worry because ‘Kids Addicted’ has a new flare, which can only happen after Red Rum Club cashed in a bag full of confidence after an impressive showing at this years Glastonbury Festival, which ended with the band having their track ‘Would You Rather Be Lonely’ loudly sang back to them.
‘Kids Addicted’ blazes to a start with the trademark energy provided by Joe’s trumpet smashing out a tune. You can only feel after ‘Matador’ Red Rum Club have developed their sound and by gosh has it matured into a sound with so much promise.
The band fully understand the need to have a big chorus which stands out and Fran delivers this within ‘Kids Addicted’, there will be an air of excitement around Red Rum Club after this track to what else will come before another album full of catchy records.
4 Hooks out of 5
Written By Kess Anthony
Photo source: Andrew Cooper
Red Rum Club Gig Review 21/05/19
Venue: Moles Club, Bath
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
Red Rum Club Album REVIEW
“Red Rum Club and their album Matador is a club which you will want to join!”
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
Red Rum Club Interview
After a fantastic gig played earlier in the evening at Moles, Bath. We sat down with 2 of the 6 members of Red Rum Club. Fran and Joe to learn more about the band.
OtHM: What does it mean to a band like Red Rum Club to have landed at number 12 on the Vinyl chart this week?
Fran: We really wanted, as a band, for the record to be on vinyl due to the prestige, but our record label needed to see good sales of the album beforehand, which we got, and to make it to number 12 is mind blowing and we sold 20 odd vinyls aboard so we could have gone higher if they counted.
Joe: It was like a personal reward for us a band and a big thank you to our record label for having trust in us.
OtHM: What is your favourite track on your album ‘Matador’?
Joe: For me it has to be Matador, as it was the first track I realised this is the band for me to be a part of and I felt so excited about being involved in the track.
Fran: For a while it was Remedy as it was really down to the wire of finishing the song before the album was finished and it sounded so great when you listen to it back.
OtHM: What does the writing process look like for Red Rum Club?
Fran: It’s really democratic within the band and everyone is treated equally, we all bring ideas to the table but normally Tom brings the majority of the lyrics.
Joe: Yeah normally we go with the bigger group direction with a track but when it’s split down the middle a 3 band members against 3 it can be a nightmare to move the song on.
OtHM: Which lyrics are you most proud of writing?
Fran and Joe: I think it’s got to be the Angeline’s lyrics.
Joe: But the Remedy’s lyrics are amazing as well because Tom wrote it about a situation that everyone in the band witnessed and experienced and he wrote it perfectly and it was so accurate.
OtHM: What was the most challenging part of making the ‘Matador’ album?
Joe: Oh it was whittling down the tracks from 40 songs.
Fran: I also think it was not trying to look and sound to cool and the need not to worry that the album sounds too cheesy.
OtHM: How would you describe Red Rum Club’s sound?
Fran: Our sound for me is a little touches of lots of sounds but mainly indie, pop and Americano.
Joe: I think we very much also have a Liverpool sound, I think we can hear lots of legendary Liverpool bands in our sound especially The Bunnymen.
OtHM: What has been the most memorable gig of the current tour?
Joe: It’s got to be Leeds for me, it was the first out of Liverpool and there was 450 people waiting for us and it was mind blowing.
Fran: I’m really looking forward to our home city gig in September as it’s going to be buzzing, but so far Manchester was great as it was sold out and it’s really hard to crack the Manchester gigging scene.
OtHM: Moles Club in Bath has had some of the greatest British band play within it’s walls, which gig would you have liked to been at?
Joe: The Coral for me
Fran: I’ve got an exclusive for you James Skelly (Coral frontman) is being pencilled into producing a track on our new album so we’re hoping that will come off.
Fran: For me it’s got to be Radiohead.
OtHM: How did you find out you are going to play Glastonbury this year?
Joe: We found out by a text message for our amazing manger, we were put on a short list for BBC Introducing by our local BBC radio presenter Dave Monk and we’re so grateful for the slot at Glastonbury.
Fran: I just want to say to get onto the BBC Introducing stage, we’ve done so much hard work to get there, we’ve done loads for BBC Introducing. Lots of last minute shows and radio programs all over the country, we’ve just made sure we could be available to the BBC Introducing team and I’m sure during the time when the panel sat down to decide who would play Glastonbury Dave Monk would have stood up for us and our CV stands up for itself in terms of what we’ve done for them.
OtHM: So what’s next?
Fran: Currently negotiating a second album,
Joe: yeah we just want to get back on that horse and release the second album, gone are the days of waiting 2 years between albums.
Fran: also we’re going to be out touring again in September and October in the UK and Europe so that’s going to be exciting.
Written by Kess Anthony and Matt Nicholson