Blood Red Shoes (By Laura Palmer)
By Adam Hooper
Blood Red Shoes are complementing tonight’s Venue: The Trinity Centre, Bristol, 50% of the duo Laura Mary Carter goes on to explain “it feels a bit wrong to be playing the devils music in a church” whether you could class BRS as devil’s music is a whole other debate I wouldn’t dare to get in to hear. But as Steven goes on to say how it’s strange to not be in The Thekla both are clearly too modest to state the obvious that after this year and their re-emergence with radio-1-friendly single “Cold” The Thekla just couldn’t hold them anymore. And the way things are looking like going for the couple it won’t be long before The Trinity cannot hold them either.
Without wishing to state the obvious for a two piece Blood Red Shoes sound is big massive in fact. The Opening salvos of tonight’s set see a perfect fusion of Laura’s guitar and Steven’s Drums matched perfectly via their at times at odds yet brilliantly crafted vocal duets. Clearly the chattier of the two Steven take time to introduce of every song to the audience whilst Laura tunes her guitar and almost signalling his readiness Steven holds a drum-stick firmly in the air before the drums crash into yet another pop-rock anthem.
Rather bravely the duo choose to play new single and probably current biggest hit, to those who have only recently tried on the Blood Red Shoes for themselves, “Cold” third in their set. For me this was a high-point that seemed to never really get to that point again. The problem really seems to be that with only two people in the band the sound can be massive yes but at times you struggle to pick out the differences between songs and parts. And hence to the un-educated bystander it can be hard to notice if not for Steven’s interludes where one song begins and another ends.
But the crowd and die-hards at the front appear to be eating it up they have a casual style that is endearing and makes you feel as though you are on the same level as them. This can be rare in a world of inflated egos and crotch hugging jeans, it’s this characteristic that is the saving grace though the songs feel samey they still feel honest and as though they have soul. Extra listens would obviously prove the difference as the performance is flawless and sounds excellent. One’s to watch, and probably next time at The Academy.
Perhaps you should know more of their songs before you accuse them of sounding samey? Just a thought. I was there down the front. It was mega.