BLOOD RED SHOES – BLOOD RED SHOES

Blood Red Shoes formed in late 2004, featuring  Steven Ansell and Laura-Mary Carter,  naming the band after a fred Astaire / ginger Rodgers movie scene, influenced by the likes of Babes in Toyland, Nirvana, Queens of the Stone Age, considering themselves as punk musicians, after releasing several singles releasing a sort of singles album, “I,ll be your eyes” in 2007. Followed by the official debut album “box of secrets” in 2008, No strangers to gigging supporting the likes of Biffy Clyro, Maxïmo Park,Panic At The Disco, Lightning Bolt, The Gossip, Siouxsie Sioux and Rage Against the Machine as well as festivals. Followed by the album “Fire like this” which featured a song called “It’s Getting Boring by the Sea” featured in the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. And now comes the release of their latest, the self titled “blood red shoes”  as this is my first album that I have personally heard it was astonishing to me that they were only a 2 piece outfit with such an astoundingly big sound, obvious comparison’s will be made with “white stripes, deap vally” because they are a two piece, but they are different I think because even though they have a big, big sound, they seem a little more  polished but not too polished, opening with a fuzzed up instrumental, “welcome home” straight into “everything at once”  with Steven Ansell on vocals, as with most of the album, along with a truly thunderous drum sound.  Laura takes lead vocals on a couple of tracks including the first single “the perfect mess” her vocals have a certain “yeah yeah  yeah,s  ring to them, and she possesses  impressive guitar skills, fuzzy, loud and heavy, especially on “grey smoke”. The new single “An animal” is a riffy slice of indie rock with a strong vocal. The slowest song on the album is “stranger” featuring a sexy laura vocal and piano sound. “Speech coma” with an unearthly vocal beginning kicking into a riffy/ heavy cracker. Power chorded “don’t get caught” picks the pace again with dueted vocals with a backing by laura sounding very angelic. “Cigarettes in the dark” starts with an  acapello type vocal by laura, with a a low riff in the background building nicely to a crescendo. The album ends with “tight wire” which starts with a piano and sounds like a ballad to finish on, but then it breaks into a big drum sound with the pair sharing the singing. All in all a very solid, if not ground breaking album that should with exposure take them to the next level. nicely produced at times sounding not a million miles from “The black keys” and I personally would love to hear these songs again done live.  if you get a chance, listen to the album and get out to see them, I’m sure you will be surprised.

1. Welcome home

2. Everything

3. An animal

4. Grey smoke

5. Far away

6. The perfect mess

7. behind a wall

8. Stranger

9. Speech coma, I can’t get the word

10. Don’t get caught

11. Just a while

12. Tight wire

BAND.  Steven Ansell / drums / vocals

Laura Mary Carter/guitar/vocals

www.bloodredshoes.co.uk