Red Rum Club – The Bread Shed, Manchester

Reviewed 11/05/19

Reviewer Matt Forrest

Happy Mondays, Iggy and the Stooges, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and now the Red Rum Club all have something pretty cool in common: I’ve been at gigs by all these band where their set has finished with an invited crowd invasion and sing-a-long. Granted, the Mondays’ one was a naked pissed up old dear, way back in 2000, but it still counts. However, for Red Rum Club it was the perfect way to cap off a blistering, barn-storming set, that saw the band and audience in party mode.

The Liverpool six piece (Fran Doran, Tom Williams, Michael McDermott, Simon Hepworth, Neil Lawson and Joe Corby) released their debut album, Matador back in January, to decent commercial and critical success – think big indie anthems with more than a hint of the Spaghetti Western soundtracks of Sergio Leone and you get the idea. Tonight’s gig was to celebrate the release of the album on vinyl, with the Bread Shed in the mood for a party.

Through their raucous, rowdy gigs the band have cultivated a loyal fanbase and on the basis of tonight’s gig it’s plain to see why: catchy tunes, huge anthems and a proper connection with the crowd. Highlights from a set of many included: Would You Be Lonely? a rebel-rousing anthem that wouldn’t be out of place echoing through an arena, Calexico an up-tempo banger fused with some Latino vibes and crowd favourite Angeline, a remorseful tale of lost love.

This was a sweaty, boozy party with everyone in good spirits and having a good time. It was great seeing a group of talented musicians in such an intimate venue because these boys will be upgrading to bigger venues in the near future, there’s no question about that. It’s more a matter of when rather than if. On the basis of tonight’s high octane live show, the band are going to need a bigger club, because membership is about to go through the roof!