Brace yourself for the latest from Liverpool’s indie workhorses Red Rum Club. Their new studio album ‘Western Approaches‘ arrives today and sees the irrepressible six-piece take their eclectic, boundary-pushing songcraft to new heights. Expanding on the success of their 2022 hit ‘How To Steal The World,’ ‘Western Approaches’ further cements Red Rum Club’s reputation for writing infectious indie anthems with a distinctly Scouse flair.
Red Rum Club enlisted the talents of acclaimed producer Rich Turvey (known for his work with the likes of Courteeners, Vistas, The Wombats and The Coral) to help craft their latest album. Recording amid the vestiges of Liverpool’s bygone industrial era, the band channeled the grit and character of the city into a collection of burnished songs that represent a bold new creative direction for the group. Though still maintaining their trademark stylings, this album sees Red Rum Club branching into moodier and more textured sonic territory. A new rehearsal room, a former docklands den of iniquity, offered the backdrop of brooding streets and dramatic, sea-meeting skies from which songs like recent single, Hole In My Home, emerged.
Recorded entirely on Merseyside, Francis Doran (vocals), Tom Williams (guitar, backing vocals), Michael McDermott (guitar, backing vocals), Simon Hepworth (bass), Neil Lawson (drums, percussion) and Joe Corby (trumpet) delivered their first single back in the summer of 2023, when the band ‘leaked’ their harbinger of what was to come, Black Cat.
The band takes pride in chronicling the lives of twenty-somethings through their melodic prose: Undertaker paints a vivid picture despite its morbid title, while Godless delivers drama courtesy of its filmic Dick Dale and Ennio Morricone twang, both raising the stakes for an album that we can now confirm exceeds expectations, culminating in the triumphant curtain closer Jigshaw Shores – definitely maybe the greatest track to date, with its rousing guitar riff channeling John Squire’s glory days.
Following today’s album release, Red Rum Club are gearing up for a UK tour in March, with most dates now almost at capacity. April will also see the band play their biggest headline show yet – a homecoming gig at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool. Add to this a host of intimate in-store dates that kicked off ahead of the album release and continue into the following week, and the band’s forthcoming UK dates are as follows:
Thu 7 Mar – Glasgow, The Garage – SOLD OUT
Fri 8 Mar – Newcastle, Newcastle University
Sat 9 Mar – Stoke, Sugarmill – SOLD OUT
Sun 10 Mar – Leeds, Stylus
Tue 12 Mar – London, Scala – SOLD OUT
Wed 13 Mar – Bristol, Trinity
Thu 14 Mar – Plymouth, Depo
Fri 15 Mar – Southampton, Engine Rooms – SOLD OUT
Sat 16 Mar – Birmingham, Academy Institute 2 – SOLD OUT
Mon 18 Mar – Cambridge, Junction – SOLD OUT
Tue 19 Mar – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms – SOLD OUT
Fri 5 Apr – Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
Album orders, bundles, booking links and information on all upcoming shows and releases are available at www.redrumclub.com.