RED RUM CLUB RETURN TO ENGLAND FOR A NIGHT AT THE O2 ACADEMY

O2 ACADEMY — LEICESTER, ENG

Liverpool sextet Red Rum Club are having a great 2025, fresh off of opening arena shows all over Europe for The Wombats and releasing their brand new album BUCK, which ended up charting in the top 10 in the official UK Album Charts. Their fifth album is an up-tempo rock romp with heavy guitar riffs and their now-signature funky trumpet melodies.

Opening the night was rising Scottish talent, Brògeal, bringing their jaunty, infectious Celtic noise to Leicester. It’s only a couple of weeks shy of the release of their debut album, Tuesday Paper Club, and based on their set, it’s bound to be a fun one. They lit up the room and had the swagger and presence to capture everybody's attention. Punchy guitars, jaunty banjo strumming, and a toe-tapping accordion to bring it all together, the perfect opener for the night.

The Merseyside Mariachi boys kicked off their set with the title track of their album, “Buck”, followed by hit “American Nights & English Mornings” getting the crowd going immediately. The sold-out O2Academy room was packed wall to wall with every person bouncing along to “Afternoon” and “Ballerino”, the latter being my personal favourite of the night. Lead singer Fran Doran explained that the new album BUCK was inspired by their times visiting the USA, and it’s certainly reflected in the music. He recalled a time they were driving for over 7 hours through the badlands of South Dakota, the vast empty landscapes inspiring the song “Wild”. They then kicked into the track, with the bridge of the song featuring the chorus of “Love Me Like You Wanna Be Loved”, blending the new and old songs together beautifully.

Slowing down for a second to perform “Favourite Record” gave the sweltering crowd a much-needed chance to catch their breath. Fan joked, “It’s almost the time we pretend this is our last song, then go off stage until you all shout really loud”. The four-song encore started with “Eighteen” before firing into “Animal” and “Would You Rather Be Lonely”, ending the night with an extended version of fan favourite “Vanilla”, and bringing a fantastic night to a close, shouting out all 6 members of the band.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of listening to or seeing Red Rum Club, my piece of advice is to go. You won’t regret it. The Liverpudlian boys always put on one hell of a show, and their music is so infectious and fun, you’re guaranteed a good time.