Red Rum Club - Live Review

I’d seen Red Rum Club a few times before here, but always upstairs at the O2 Academy Oxford. This one felt like a little milestone for them and for the crowd, too. Same building, bigger room, sold out, and a Saturday night where everyone seemed to arrive already half switched on. They’re out on the Buck UK Tour with the new record still fresh, and Fran sounded genuinely proud saying it’s their second Top 10 and it’s landed at number 7.

They opened with Buck and immediately pushed the pace. Nothing fancy about it, just a tight groove, that bright trumpet line cutting through, and a front row that was up for being told what to do. The floor got bouncy early, and the room had that sweaty, friendly feel where strangers are grinning at each other between songs.

The trumpet became its own running joke. At one point the crowd started shouting for a trumpet solo. Someone yelled that he’d already had five and there were seven more to go. Then Fran shouted "don’t you know his name?” followed by “It’s Joe the blow”, aimed at Joe Corby. It was silly and brilliant, and Joe played along, stepping forward like he’d been waiting for it all night. Fran told the crowd they’d had a fine voice all night and asking whether we sounded better or looked better. He paused, laughed, and said after two weeks on tour they probably sound better than they look. Fair.

They kept the set moving without it feeling rushed. Wish I Was Here was one of those, the whole room singing and bouncing like it had been around for years. Later on, Call Me on Your Comedown slowed things just enough to let everyone catch a breath, then they were straight back into the upbeat stuff. Fran turned up in “Dave the drivers” cowboy hat at one point, and the most modern-gig moment of the night was him borrowing someone’s phone from the front and filming the band mid-song. You could see the screens pop up as people tried to work out if they were in the shot.

By the encore, it felt like they’d properly won the room. Vanilla as the closer had that last big push where people around me were shouting the hook like it was the only thing they knew. Walking out, there was that Saturday feeling Fran joked about earlier, pretending we’re all ok before work next week, but with ears ringing and a bit of a glow from it. It’s a simple thing to say, but it just felt like a band enjoying the step up and a crowd happy to be part of it.