Crowded gig but the band pull it off with ease.
Make no mistake, Friday at the Camden Crawl was a far busier affair than Thursday's efforts. Whilst Blood Red Shoes are undoubtedly a good band, it was unexpected for the venue to be filled to such a dangerously crammed level. It was the same story at most venues so perhaps the ticket sales had increased quicker than most pubs could cater for but there were many people feeling uncomfortable during the set.
The most galling this was seeing some of the crowd standing about and paying little heed to the band on show. That said, it didn't appear to affect them as they roared through a trademark bluesy set.
The last time R13 caught up with Blood Red Shoes, Laura Mary Carter was suffering from a sore throat which impacted on some of their songs but tonight there was nothing holding them back, which considering their tales of drunkenness the night before seems to be due to good fortune rather than strong planning. 'You bring me down' showcased Carter in full flow, with her short and sassy vocals crossing that line between swaying seductiveness and downright violence.
With the guitar lines and most of the vocals, the attention may fall on Carter but Steven Ansell does most of the communicating with the crowd and also drives all the tracks on with relentless drumming. The age of the two-piece is definitely with us and Blood Red Shoes are up there with the rest of the acts snapping at Jack and Megs toes.
At times it was hard to remember you were supposed to watch a band but the volume and music more than made up for it and Blood Red Shoes managed to conjure up an exciting performance.