I hereby am making it my mission to turn the U.S. onto the dark and paranoid sounds of Brighton, England’s Blood Red Shoes. Truthfully, I’m surprised that the tastemaking sites that I follow on a regular basis haven’t already latched onto this duo (Laura-Mary Carter on guitars/vocals and Steven Ansell on drums/vocals) and their Nirvana-by-way-of-the-Pixies blistering rock sound. (For the record, I’ve been listening to this band since 2008’s Box of Secrets.)
While it can be said of hundreds of bands, there is little doubt that Blood Red Shoes might not be where they are had it not been for Nirvana’s Nevermind and In Utero albums. Therefore, it stands to reason that the bash-and-rock songs on Blood Red Shoes sophomore release, Fire Like This, are reminiscent of another Nirvana-worshiping duo, Local H. Both bands eschew the use of bassist yet neither suffers from the lack of the four string.
Despite all the previously mentioned bands, the band I’m most reminded of when listening to Blood Red Shoes is another overlooked UK favorite of mine, The Subways, who had the male/female vocalist thing going but who tended to favor the male vocals. In Blood Red Shoes, Carter and Ansell alternate and often swap verses within the same song.
Fire Like This will be available in the U.S. on October 5 and Blood Red Shoes will be touring on this side of the pond (for the first time?) shortly thereafter.
Tour Dates
Oct 12 – Media Club / Vancouver
Oct 13 – Sunset Tavern / Seattle
Oct 15 – Rickshaw Stop / San Francisco
Oct 16 – Muddy Waters / Santa Barbara
Oct 18 – Bootleg Theatre / Los Angeles
Oct 19 – Casbah / San Diego
Oct 20-21 – CMJ / New York City
Oct 22 – Red Palace / Washington, DC
Oct 24 – Great Scott / Allston, MA
Oct 26 – Casa Del Popolo / Montreal
Oct 27 – Horseshoe Tavern / Toronto
Oct 28 – Grog Shop / Cleveland
Oct 29 – Subterranean / Chicago
