Debut album ;Box of Secrets’ set some high standards for Blood Red Shoes to reach. The tricky second album is made even more tricky when the first was so damn good. Secondly, it‟s always interesting to see if an album that does appear to capture the raw energy and vigour can be matched by the live performance, and this meant that when I found out Blood Red Shoes would be playing a ‘secret’ gig at the Cro Bar in Soho, showcasing some new tracks from second album ‘Fire Like This’ I had to head down.
An intimate venue to say the least, the capacity of Cro Bar is around 80 people and this, combined with the colossal sounds of a Blood Red Shoes set, ensured my ear drums took one hell of a pummelling.
In all honesty, I was a little worried about how the night would pan out when opener ‘Keeping It Close’ was followed by another new song entitled ‘It Is Happening Again’. Neither song provoked a particularly good reception from the packed in crowd, despite both songs seemingly having a similar successful formula to those from ‘Box of Secrets’. However, old favourite ‘Say Something, Say Anything’ kicked life into the crowd and both Steven and Laura-Mary appeared to thrive on this.
The set continued with new songs interweaved with older ones and, despite sound issues that meant the vocals were often inaudible, the return of Blood Red Shoes was an undoubted success. Set closer ‘Colours Fade’, a free download from the official website, is the only new song played on the night that appears to differ significantly from previous material, due to it having a much darker feel and ending with a long instrumental.
On tonight‟s performance, the new album ‘Fire Like This’ is set to live up to the expectations created by ‘Box of Secrets’, Blood Red Shoes‟ always manages to astound due to the sheer levels of vociferous sound that two people can make – both on stage and on stereo. Tonight‟s gig certainly has me excited for what should be another excellent album.
Francesca Baker
And So She Thinks 