2nd May - The Waterfront, Norwich
Review by Johnny Storm
As an old fart I usually listen to Radio 2 but even I can't stomach the 'big band' nights. It is fortunate that on one of the occasions I'm compelled to jump ship I tuned into Radio 1 where Zane Low was interviewing Blood Red Shoes. On the strength of what I heard I treated myself to Box of Secrets, pre-ordered In Time To Voices and bought a couple of tickets to see them perform at The Waterfront in Norwich on the 2nd May.
It's fast becoming a cliche to point out that by virtue of being a male/female duo with a guitar and a drum kit, BRS are somehow the UK's answer to a certain others duo, so I'll do my best avoid saying it.
BRS came on after support from The Cast Of Cheers, I often feel for support acts, is it a contractual obligation that they aren't allowed to set their kit up as well as the main act? Whatever the reason BRS instantly had more impact than their support.
Kicking off with It's Getting Boring By The Sea" set the scene for a high energy set. Requests from the crowd for "the cowbell" led to one lucky audience member coming on stage to play the cowbell. He asked Steven (The drummer) for instructions and was told simply "don't fuck it up"! Spirited cowbell accompaniment led to a stage invasion with no resistance from the band, this happened the last time they came to the Waterfront in 2008.
Once the stage was cleared (much to the relief of their roadie it seemed) BRS continued with a performance proving that who's on stage matters far more than how many are performing. Just like with the White Stripes then, oh dammit! In all a blinding performance, I just hope they don't take four years to return next time.