Kendal Calling 2024 - Interview With Red Rum Club

I got to interview on of the best unsigned bands in the country at Kendal Calling this year, Red Rum Club (what are you playing at labels, get them signed!) in what is probably the most unusual start to an interview I will ever have as they insisted on playing swing ball while I interviewed them, something that eventually we had to give up on as it was turning out to be a bit too competitive and likely to result in injury to one of us, which one we will never know as the game stopped. I have removed the near misses and the ducking as it doesn’t add to the interview!

So, you’re not long off the stage, how was that for you?

Unbelievable, one of our favourites of the summer, we really enjoyed that.

You were full of energy and the crowd was full of energy as well.

Yeah, we feed from that as well. Not to name names but you play some gigs where you feel less of the audience are Red Rum Club fans, we do see that as an opportunity as you’re playing in front of new people but it’s also more enjoyable when a large percentage of the crowd are there to come and see you, it’s more of a celebration. There were a lot of our t-shirts in the crowd.

I saw that, there were a lot of your t-shirts in the crowd. You played here a couple of years ago on the main stage, how did it compare to that?

We played on the Thursday the last time, it’s a different feeling a different vibe to it. It was a Thursday, we were just getting here, dumping their bags and tents and raring to go, whereas today we were on the Sunday, and we were thinking are people going to be half dead?

There may have been a couple, but I didn’t see many.

Yeh, there was lots of energy out there, maybe more than we expected. We are only two hours from Liverpool, lots of fans are up here, the girls all come with us as well, it’s like a day out for us, we bring ale on the van, we bring people with us, and we stay until the end. We’re going to go out in the crowd and watch some of our favourite acts as well.

Who are you going to go see?

We’re going to watch a called Rats from Liverpool.

Hate to tell you this but they’re finished, I saw them, and they were great.

That’s a shame but we were busy playing swing ball, we’re also gutted we missed Royston Club because they are favourites of ours as well but also Feeder, we’ve got to relive some of our teenage years! Where are you from by the way?

West coast of Scotland, Ayrshire but I live in Yorkshire as you can tell.

We’re also looking to see Paolo from your neck of the woods. We’re big, big fans of Paolo and we’ve been lucky enough to meet him a couple of times and we’ve had a few nights with him when we’ve been able to have a drink and enjoy ourselves with him. You know they say don’t meet your heroes? He’s a hero of our and we met him, and it exceeded everything we could have hoped for, what a gent, what a true gent he is, and he enjoys a party like we do as well, so we had a good night with him. We’re really looking forward to his set and we’re just happy to be here.

Excellent, so what’s next then after Kendal?

We go home to Liverpool, we’re currently writing at the minute, we’re writing some new material.

Is this for a new album?

It could be, if anyone fancies signing us, please sign us? We’re just enjoying writing for the sake of writing just now. We’re going to see what comes. Then we’ve got a few more gigs, a few festivals, a few headline shows and then we’ve got quite a big autumn and start of the new year coming up. It’s not announced yet, but we have something coming up  supporting someone else.

So, any chance of an exclusive?

We can’t, our manager would murder us! Who we are supporting are also bigger than us, never mind the manager they’ll batter us!

No worries, you can’t blame me for trying. I know you guys want to get out there and enjoy it but are you going back to the swing ball first?

I think were done with that, we would play football but there are goals without a ball.

I can tell you what happened there but off the record, cheers guys, it’s been a pleasure.

Thanks, really appreciate it.

Interview - Iain McClay