Blood Red Shoes
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Blood Red Shoes |
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Blood Red Shoes are a two-piece, punk/grunge band from Brighton, England.
Overview
Consisting of Steven Ansell (originally from Horsham, West Sussex) and Laura-Mary Carter (originally from London), they formed in 2005 after their previous bands (Cat On Form and Lady Muck respectively) had broken up and they decided to "have a jam"[1]. They have performed over 300 live shows and released eight singles since they began in 2005. They were signed to V2 in April 2007 with whom they released the singles "It's Getting Boring By The Sea" (June 11, 2007) and "I Wish I Was Someone Better" (October 29, 2007). However, following the sale of V2 to Universal Music Group, the band's debut album Box of Secrets was released on Mercury Records on 14 April 2008. It was leaked to private torrent trackers in November 2007, several months before its retail release date.
In an interview in Berlin, Laura-Mary expressed that the band's name was taken from a Ginger Rogers/Fred Astaire musical, in which Ginger Rogers had turned a pair of white dancing shoes red with blood because she had been practising dancing so much in them.
The band featured on both days of the 2007 Camden Crawl, playing the Purple Turtle and the Earl of Camden respectively. Blood Red Shoes headlined the 2007 Red Stripe Music Awards alongside Yourcodenameis:Milo. They were also one of four bands to play the NME New Music Tour 2007, with The Little Ones, Pull Tiger Tail and The Rumble Strips. The summer of 2007 saw the band playing several festival spots, including T in the Park, the inaugural Underage Festival, Electric Gardens festival and a highly successful slot at Reading Festival.
The band cite a large swathe of US-based underground punk and rock music as their primary influence, drawing inspiration from Babes in Toyland, Nirvana, Q and not U, Pixies, Fugazi, Sonic Youth et al, although they also regularly highlight English artists Blur and PJ Harvey as music heroes. The band frequently distance themselves from current English guitar music and consider themselves to be a punk band, in ethos and attitude, if not in their immediate musical style.
It must be noted that though they are most frequently compared to The White Stripes, due to the boy-girl drums and guitar setup, the band (particularly Steven) have been very vocal about their extreme dislike of this comparison, and indeed, of The White Stripes themselves.
On Friday 11th April they smashed the 'cheese board' feature record on Gonzo with Zane Lowe by naming twenty cheeses in 20 seconds. Making the feat even more impressive was that the duo did not even say the most common cheese; cheddar.
Discography
Singles
| Title | Release Date | UK Singles Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Victory for the Magpie" (EP) | 18 July 2005 | - | - |
| "Stitch Me Back / Meet Me at Eight" (Double A-Side) | 20 February 2006 | - | - |
| "A.D.H.D" | 15 May 2006 | - | - |
| "You Bring Me Down" | 20 November 2006 | - | I'll Be Your Eyes |
| "It's Getting Boring by the Sea" | 11 June 2007 | - | I'll Be Your Eyes |
| "I Wish I Was Someone Better" | 29 October 2007 | - | Box of Secrets |
| "You Bring Me Down" (Re-Release) | 04 February 2008 | 64 | Box of Secrets |
| "Say Something, Say Anything" | 07 April 2008 | 79 | Box of Secrets |
| "This Is Not for You" | 07 July 2008 | - | Box of Secrets |
Albums
| Title | Release Date | UK Album Chart |
|---|---|---|
| Box of Secrets | 14 April 2008 | 47 |
Compilations
- "I'll Be Your Eyes" - (V2 Records) 25 June2007
Equipment
Laura-Mary Carter
- Fender American Telecaster
- Fender Japanese '62 Reissue Telecaster
- Springtime
- Marshall DSL50 JCM2000 Head
- Marshall 1960TV Cabinet
- Boss DD-6
- Boss TU-2
- Marshall Guv'nor GV-2 Plus
- Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi
- Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man
Steven Ansell
- Tama Drum Kit
- Zildjian Cymbals
- Ludwig Black Beauty Snare Drum
- Roland SPD-S sample pad