The Venue tonight is ULU, my first time here and first up are BLOOD RED SHOES. A Brighton-based pair of enthusiastically noisy bastards. Taking their name from a story about Ginger Rogers, and the time “she danced so hard.”
That her shoes have apparently changed from white to a deep haemoglobin red seems apt. In fact, perhaps a better name would be Blood Red Ears because this double act play so hard. With Steven Ansell formerly of Cat On Form, smashing the skins like some sort of man mental machine, and Laura-Mary Carter from Lady Muck, playing out her no-nonsense guitar abusing disposition, the 2 make up a truly masterful no frills set.
A 2 piece at a venue like this might on the surface seem or appear a little isolated. This my friend, couldn’t be any further from the truth. They fill the space with a multi-tasking skill that reeks of a million gigs under their belts. It is a wonderful duopoly of feeling, stripped and raw, with a mixture of blessed harmonising singing like lava fuelled screams. There is a great understanding between these 2, both using their own vocals to great effect. They bounce off each other whilst Ansell tries to split the drum skin on every beat, Carter adds the class mascara and the sleek rhythms administer short sharp electric jabs to the musical chin. It sounds so good that you believe there is a bass player there somewhere.
|
They have been compared to (inevitably) The White Stripes, The Kills etc, but in all honesty they are their own entity. No compromise, 2 people wanting to be in a band, being innovative and extremely refreshing.
The crowd's energy levels rises dramatically, feet are stomping like a herd of bison as the set ploughs with such ease and aplomb, gliding from one song to the next. Individually, they have a great arsenal of songs in their back packs, including the likes of “ADHD”,”How To Pass The Time” and the highlight of the performance in latest single “You Bring Me Down.”
By their own admission, Blood Red Shoes regard themselves as “not fitting in anywhere” in regards with the scene, like a square peg in a round hole. If this is the case, I’ll be changing all my pegs'n'holes. A real gem of a performance.
|
