Live Review :: Red Rum Club/Little Triggers + others :: Zanzibar, Liverpool - Jan 21 2017

Live Review

Red Rum Club + Little Triggers + Nytclub + Bad Habits

Zanzibar, Liverpool

January 21 2017

Words: Jane Davies
Photos: Jane Davies, David Elms

Expectations were riding high for Red Rum Club’s first headline gig at the Zanzibar. A sell-out show with the venue packed to the rafters, first on with the unenviable task of warming up the audience in an initially chilly room, were Bad Habits.

A number of the songs opened up with catchy patches of synth which then rapidly evaporated into a totally guitar driven sound. They are a band still in development, and it will be interesting to chart their progress throughout the coming months.

Nytclub followed, and unfortunately were plagued by a few technical hitches which jolted their confidence somewhat. It was not the performance that you would expect from a band not lacking in live performance experience, having appeared at Bestival and BBC Introducing events. Surprisingly they omitted two of their most popular songs 'Jewels' and 'All Dressed Up', which would have got the audience onside.

Things certainly livened up with the arrival of Little Triggers. An explosive fusion of punk with elements of The Doors and The Who and delicious sweeping keyboard melodies. The paisley clad lead singer looked like Marc Bolan and played like Jimi Hendrix. It was impossible to stand still whilst listening to songs such as 'Giving Me Up' and 'It Ain't Over' and 'Silly Cigarettes'. This high energy set ended with a cover of 'Everybody Needs Somebody', which got everyone singing along in readiness for the main draw.

For the uninitiated, Red Rum Club is a six-piece Americana band playing Tarantino-esque anthems blended with a heady influence of Ennio Morricone, The Killers and a signature trumpet. As the lights dimmed, the Magnificent Six stepped up and took position on a stage that looked positively too small for them. It is fair to say that the next time they play Liverpool they need a bigger stage and bigger venue altogether, such is their increasing popularity.

The opener was the high octane anthem 'Gasoline', which hitched the audience up another gear that would last for the entire set. Their newly released single 'Alone Together' followed hard on its heels, along with new songs such as 'Honey' and the incredibly catchy 'The TV Said So', which were aired for the first time here in Liverpool and instantly sung along to by an appreciative crowd.

In the eight weeks since they last played the Zanzibar, it was very apparent that vocalist Fran Doran had honed his command of the audience, surveying the swaying masses and interacting more readily and frequently with them. Also more noticeable was his increased mobility about the stage, bobbing up and down confidently, no longer confined to the one spot. Transitions from one song to another had speeded up to the extent that the trumpet player could barely pause for breath between songs.

The audience, although predominantly composed of a younger age group, nevertheless has a fair smattering of older fans - such is the multi-generational appeal of this style of music, making it a welcoming place for everyone to come together.

All too quickly we had arrived at the final song, possibly their most readily recalled song to date: 'Would You Rather Be Lonely?' Huge audience participation throughout the song spilled into tumultuous applause at the end which carried on for some time before allowing the band to leave.

Red Rum Club have grown in so many ways, from their music and confidence, to their fan base, which on this evening included some who had travelled from as far as Edinburgh to see them. They have won over Liverpool, now they need to win over the rest of the UK and beyond.