Joiners Arms, Southampton
In the very hot Summer of last year; on the “This Feeling” stage at the Isle of Wight Festival, I was introduced to a new band from Liverpool called the Red Rum Club. The band showed off their many talents and particularly a great and refreshing new sound that got a large crowd up dancing that day. The band is following in the footsteps of many great Liverpool band’s before them, injecting their music with the joyful Liverpudlian spirit and plenty of inspirations from their hometown musical heritage. They have recently released their debut album ‘Matador” which showcases their very individual Mariachi ‘Mexi-pool’ sound. Tonight the band arrive for the first time in Southampton, at the legendary Joiners as part of a UK tour. The band compare it to the mighty Reds Liverpool FC having a match at St Mary Stadium, which on current form it will definitely be an away win.
Before the headliners, we have two great supports to look forward to. The first from across the Solent are Coyote Jungle, who are a four-piece injection of fresh youthful energy, who arrive on stage and immediately entertain with catchy melodic guitars and well-delivered vocals. At times they sound like the poppier side of The Cure along with more modern influences from many of the recent new wave of Indie bands. Their songs are well crafted with each member making a signification contribution to the sound; with some great tunes like hard-hitting “Dust” and “Figure”, complete with some great intricate guitar work. The band ends their short set with a tune called “Harry The Dog”, a tune not about the (in)famous Milwall football hooligan, but a dog they befriended on a video shoot. They remind me of some of the casually attired bands that have been appearing over the season on Soccer AM, despite their brief set they make a good impression on the audience who show them positive appreciation as they leave the stage.
Next up from Taunton are October Drift; a band that played an explosive gig here in November of last year and made a considerable impression on me, and I am excited to see them back here again tonight. They hit the stage with a wall of cascading noise with “Losing My Touch”, with elements of 90’s shoegaze firmly at the heart of it. The band then go off like coiled springs with a colossal amount of energy on ‘Cherry Red’; featuring deep sultry basslines played with two effect-driven, atmospheric guitars. All eyes are on frontman Kiran Roy who wears his guitar as high up on his chest as it will possibly go. This gives him free movement across the stage and helps with regular trips off the stage to play amongst the audience, while singing the lyrics right in front of their faces.
We are treated to a glimpse of their future directions with a new tune called “Oh The Silence” which is hopefully going to be part of a long player to be released sometime in the not too distant future. There is no let-up with the band’s relentless energy and the great tunes keep coming. They save the best two until last with the epic “All Broken Down”, with it’s beautiful melodic layered guitar sound totally filling the Joiners. They leave us with the powerful “Come and Find Me”…..”I’m the Lucky one, the firstborn son, I’m the Lucky one, The Loaded Gun”, a song that stirs emotion and leaves a lasting impression. I was impressed before and the band once again tonight show what an amazing live experience they can deliver.
After catching our breath and a quick drink it’s time for the headliners. The Joiners have had many memorable nights over the years and you have to only look at the posters emblazoned above the bar for a list of the top names that have played this legendary venue. I have a real feeling that tonight is going to be one of those nights. Red Rum Club is a band just at the genesis of their career; as they take to the stage and start to perform their opening number ‘Angeline’ you can’t help but feel that there is something really special going on here tonight. The opening night of the tour is sometimes fraught with nerves, these guys show supreme confidence and belief in what they are doing. Looking smart all dressed in black their sound is just full of joyful twists and turns, making the audience just want to move. The band have all travelled for six hours to play here tonight and the looks on their faces as the sizeable audience sings their lyrics back at them is priceless.
In this age of technology and accessibility to so much music, it is important that musicians create music that is relevant, catchy and easy to listen too. Red Rum Club has taken all these ingredients and even at this early stage have mastered the art of song creation. The inclusion of the solitary Mariachi style trumpet to the bands unmistakably Liverpool sound is a genius stroke. Each number is a sheer joy to listen to that will soon take them on a road to considerable success. Their latest album is full of potential hits like “TV Said So”, “Nobody Gets Out Alive” and “Honey”. They all get a fantastic response from tonight’s audience as the band play a faultless live set. The band ended by inviting a large part of the audience up on the stage with them to play out their final number “Would You Rather Be Lonely”; which ends in a joyous celebration of a band who you may not have heard of just yet, but you will very soon as their popularity increases.
Set Lists
Red Rum Club
Angeline
Casanova
TV Said So
Nobody Gets Out Alive
Hung Up
Calexio
Remedy (To Clean a Dirty Soul)
Alone Together
Honey
Matador
Would You Rather Be Lonely
October Drift
Losing My Touch
Cherry Red
Donít Give Me Hope
Oh the Silence
Lost
All Broken Down
Come and Find Me
Coyote Jungle
Intro
Make Amends
Bones
Read Sea
Dust
Figure
Harry the Dog
Videos
Links
https://www.facebook.com/RedRumClubBand
http://www.octoberdrift.co.uk
http://coyotejungle.com
Words, Pictures & Video by David Chinery
