Matt Jacobson meets Michael McDermott, Fran Doran and Joe Corby from local band Red Rum Club to discuss their new single, “Kids Addicted“, their upcoming tour and this week’s sell out gig at the 02 Academy Liverpool.
It’s been four weeks since I last saw you and things have again, gone from strength to strength. How was the Maida Vale session?
FD: It was special
MM: It’s a blur, I keep forgetting we have been, everything has been going so fast
FD: We were in the studio that week and we received a call from the BBC and asked, do you fancy Maida Vale? So, we found out the Tuesday and went down to Maida Vale on the Saturday. We had to get the songs ready, be prepared and had to cancel some arrangements last minute. But, then when we went down there, because it was a Saturday, there was no one there, so we basically had the run of the place. It all hit home, all those great live sessions come from there.
With it being such an iconic venue, did you learn anything from the experience?
MM: More about ourselves really!
JC: Not much, I was half asleep, we had to leave at four in the morning to get there.
FD: When we got there, it felt like it was a rite of passage, we deserve to be there, we had done the hard work, and it was almost a rubber stamp.
MM: Maybe it was almost self-validating, we were thinking, this is where the proper bands go, but are we alright here? So, it was good for us. It felt like almost two days as we also played a festival in Blackburn. So, we set off at four in the morning, arrived in London for a ten a.m. start. Then, when we finished Maida Vale session, we put the equipment back on van and played a gig in Blackburn.
FD: It was almost like, we didn’t take it all in, it moved so fast
So, when you woke up the next morning, you must have wondered, what happened there?!
MM: Yes, we went out after the Blackburn gig too
FD: We looked back at pictures the next day and thought, oh my God , that’s what happened, it all happened so quickly!
The new single, “Kids Addicted”, when did you pen this song, on the road, or has it always been there in the background? It is a thought provoking title with a great single cover.
MM: No, it came out of nowhere really. We did a session with Richard Turvey from Parr Street Studios. He’s worked with a number of artists we are fans of, Blossoms being one, he produced their album. We went in for a couple of hours, for a songwriting session. We needed a single, we needed something exciting and youthful. And we had a theme about being addicted to phones and addicted to social media
FD: At first, it was called, “We Are the Generation!”
MM: It was called many things at first!
When it comes to lyrics and the recording process, with six in a band, how does it work, is it six heads of inspiration working together, or, can it cause issues with band members wanting to go in a different direction?
MM: It’s a theme that we all agree on. Then, we all sit there and hash out different words until a lyric appears and comes together and means something. We make sure every line in the song means something.
FD: Everyone has a say, we may all at times work on something separately. So if I, or Joe, or Tom have been working on something, it is their baby, you may have a suggestion, but there is an understanding that we are all working together, to make it better.
With the tour coming up, for those who haven’t seen you live, what could they expect from a Red Rum Club Gig?
JC: Loud, loud music!
FD: Just a party really! Before we go on stage, we always try to be cool and be a proper band. But, then we get on stage and it turns into…..
MM: Uncles dancing at a wedding! You now those uncles that get up dancing first, we are those uncles!
MM: People come to our gigs because we have fun, and our gigs are energetic and lively and that’s the band we want to be.
The sell-out gig at Liverpool Academy, in your home city. It’s going to be a special night!
MM: We have had this booked for about a year, and then we announced it after the album came out on the 11th January. This gig sold out in April. We were really shocked a gig with a 1200 capped venue in our home city selling out months in advance. We didn’t forget about it, but with so much going on, it was on the backburner, but now it’s here and we are all looking forward to it!
Well, from myself and all at Explore Liverpool, best wishes for the single and the tour.
Michael, Francis and Joe: Thank you, thanks so much.
Photo credit: Michelle Marshall
