Six-piece, Red Rum Club are the latest band on the Liverpool indie scene. Guitarist TOM WILLIAMS talks to LOUIS REYNOLDS about how an Oasis gig made him realise he had the wrong haircut…
Indie bands nowadays largely consist of vocals and guitar riffs underpinned by bass and drums. Not so Red Rum Club, however, for the band incorporates a bold trumpet, something that has become a staple of their sound.
“Every riff sounds six times better with a trumpet,” explains guitarist Tom Williams when we talk. “There’s something about it. It just smacks you in the face and lets you know its presence. It turns heads.”
This rings true in all their songs, especially the single Calexico.
Recalling the music playing in his house when growing up, Tom throws up some contrasts.
“My dad would play me a lot of live cassettes, such as Pink Floyd and Johnny Cash, on almost every car journey to the football,” he says. “My mum would clean up the house listening to The Human League, Duran Duran and Haircut 100.”
Although genre-wise these sounds lie at polar opposite ends of the spectrum, both have affected his songwriting. “I definitely take influence on writing pop songs to that 80’s structure, but I haven’t yet got to the stage of self-indulgence to put in a seven minute David Gilmour solo.”
Surf, Americana and Mariachi music all influence the band, as well as a lot of film music. Hip-hop and Latin American pop are also heavy influences when it comes to percussion. These are certainly abundant in debut single Honey, recently played on BBC 6 Music.
Tom acknowledges that any group from Liverpool is in the shadow of The Beatles. But where else in Liverpool can they see influences?
“Echo & The Bunnymen really opened our eyes in terms of guitar sound,” he says. “We feel our music has that 80s Scouse tone to it.”
Tom recalls his first ever experience of going to a gig. “I saw Oasis in 2008. It was mayhem, as expected! I was a peppy school kid, only just dipping my head into rock and roll. It made me realise I had the wrong haircut.”
The band have just returned to the UK from South Korea where they were playing as part of their “Join the Club” tour. Tom says the band has really noticed the excitement.
“Most cities have sold out. We announced Glasgow and that is completely sold out. We always have a boss gig in Glasgow, even if the night out after ruins us.”
“We’ve been working hard for the last two years now, up and down the country, so it is great to see the hard work starting to pay off. It’s all about gaining momentum and getting as much people behind us as possible.”
Where do the band see themselves in five years time? I ask. The answer is obvious: “Of course we would want to be headlining festivals, but we take everything as it comes. We want to tour as much as we can, release music and see what happens.”
I ask Tom for his fantasy festival line-up (dead or alive)… “ABBA, on the Friday” he says. “The Saturday would be David Bowie. One of my biggest influences. He has hits for days. He wouldn’t disappoint!” and rounding off the weekend Childish Gambino:”He’s another level at the moment, groundbreaking stuff.”
Red Rum Club play Headrow House on Friday 19th October 2018. Tickets here. The band’s debut album is released via Modern Sky UK early next year.