Set on fire like a paper plane
Falling down again, back to the start
I built you up just like a pack of cards
Walking separate paths into the dark
From “In Time to Voices” by Red Blood Shoes
U.K. garage-rock duo Blood Red Shoes will make a couple of stops in NY in support of its latest full-length In Time to Voices. Named after the bloody shoes on Ginger Rogers’ feet after she rehearsed a number over and over, the Brighton-based duo was deeply influenced by the punk aesthetic of American bands like the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Nirvana and Queens of the Stone Age, along with British classics Black Sabbath and the Stones. While known for their raw, live sound, guitarist/vocalist Laura-May Carter and drummer-vocalist Steven Ansell, who are not a couple but “more like a gang,” have expanded their range on their latest disc.
“I think we’re a lot less one-dimensional,” reveals Ansell. “Our first album is all fast songs and very aggressive, there’s very little let up to it. But we’ve been trying to incorporate more dynamics and light and shade to what we do, and I think our latest album does that much more. Live, it’s still very much a high energy rock show, but on the record there are more reflective moments… recently, I’ve even noticed a kind of hip hop influence on our sound, and neither of us can figure out where the hell that came from.”
Inspired by Wim Wenders’ gritty film Paris,Texas and the philosophical novel, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” the 11-track In Time to Voices is a whirlwind of introspection and unfettered expression that comes alive onstage. The dueling voices of Ansell and Carter, who resembles a raven-haired Deborah Harry, only add to their explosive sound.
“On tour we keep it very simple and direct,” notes Ansell, when asked if they add any instruments, like strings or bass, to their live repertoire. “There are no extra musicians, there’s no backing track, no fancy light show. It’s just the two of us singing with guitar and drums and putting in as much energy and intensity as possible… It’s a proper rock and roll show.”
If you want to be moved, check out the primal sound of the Blood Red Shoes on Tuesday, September 18th at the Mercury Lounge in NYC, and on Wednesday September 19th at Glasslands in Brooklyn. For more info: http://www.bloodredshoes.co.uk/home/ and http://www.facebook.com/bloodredshoes