LIVE REVIEW: The Red Rum Club

On Thursday night, to celebrate the release of their lockdown album, Liverpool’s The Red Rum Club sold out The Leadmill for an unforgettable night.

The album, How to Steal the World, does not fall short of the expectations for this band's future and they're heading full steam towards success. This is their third album, however seemingly the biggest yet with their ever-growing fandom, following their appearance at NBHD Weekender months ago and several gigs up and down the UK.

Fran Doran, the lead vocalist, immediately impressed the young audience with his Alex Turner-style leather jacket and slick hair. He also told the concert-goers the songs written for the album were created in lockdown 'looking over the docks'.

The band not only played hit after hit, they also added in the new songs set to be released hours later at midnight. The crowd danced, sang, waved and chanted for Fran, along with their popular trumpet player, Joe Corby, AKA ‘Joe the blow’ as he is known on social media – giving the band an alternative niche to other indie-rock groups.

During the gig, Doran called Sheffield the band's 'second home' and said the band had played there over 20 times. This was the reason for choosing Sheffield as their second venue to play after the Arts Club in their home city, Liverpool.

The emotional part came after, when he said the band had once played to two people, then 20 and now to 250, showing the immense progression of this humble but extraordinarily talented band in making a name for themselves on the big stage.

The RRC were down-to-earth, friendly with the crowd and, most of all, honest. They seemed so grateful to be there, in a small club on a Thursday night, and that created a special connection between the band and the audience.

As the final song Eleanor played, I reached for Doran's hand on the tallest shoulders possible, along with many other fans, and he reached back, making it a moment and a night I'll never forget.

An album to listen to, a band to invest in, and a gig to remember.

Edited by Hannah Youds