From horse names to hometown anthems, we caught up with Red Rum Club ahead of their biggest headline show yet! Read all about their Aintree dreams, setlist surprises, and why 'Gerard' might be the next Grand National champion.
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How does it feel with the show being only a couple of months away now?
Red Rum Club: Well, we're currently in our practice room, starting to put together the show. We've had ideas for it, but the scale of it—being an outdoor show and a local show—feels so special. There's a lot of romance around it. Now, the scale of the job and how special we want to make it is really hitting us. There's a lot of hard work to be done.
You're from Bootle, just down the road from the racecourse. How did you feel when you got the phone call saying the show was locked in?
RRC: I was shocked, to be honest, because I never thought it would be an option! My mom once told me she saw Michael Jackson at Aintree Racecourse, so it feels like big boots to fill—definitely not little boots!
Many legendary artists like Tom Jones and Madness have headlined Aintree. How does it feel to add your name to that history?
RRC: Fraudulent. (Laughs). We've played the Red Rum Garden before on a National weekend. It was a small private booking, so we got a little taste of what it might be like to play our own stuff there. Now, we’re just looking forward it – it’s going to be a big show!
Do you have a routine for how you handle a day at the races?
RRC: I usually go with my friend James—he’s more of a gambling man than I am, so I follow his betting trends. Mostly, we try to get into the most exclusive parts of the racecourse, where the drinks are free, and you can get a sausage roll. Or to meet one of the horses!
With your own show there, you’ll have access all areas!
RRC: I hadn’t even thought about that! That’s going to be amazing on the day.
Now with the Grand National at Aintree, there have been many famous winners over the years such as Tiger Roll and of course Red Rum - if you owned a horse, what name would you give it?
RRC: We have actually spoken about getting a horse! The opportunity arose when we were just starting out, so a bit too early really, and we didn’t get a chance to name it. Simon… Mr. Bojangles… Gerard! If you’ve got a horse called Gerard at the national – no matter how fast it is, it’ll end up favourite!
As you're rehearsing, are there tracks you think will go down best with your hometown fans?
RRC: There are some songs about Liverpool that we’ll probably include. Our set is well-oiled and tested, so we know what gets people jumping. "Vanilla" and "Would You Rather Be Lonely" are always big ones, but we might mix things up. This time, we want to make it more theatrical—a spectacle with a storyline rather than just a gig. The biggest pressure is probably figuring out where our mums will sit! Hometown show comes with the pressure of all our families and friends being there – the show is the easy bit as we’re putting the hard work in now, the stress is beforehand making sure everyone is in and having a good time!
For fans seeing you for the first time at Aintree, what can they expect?
RRC: Don’t expect anything—keep the bar low! (Laughs) But seriously, have a drink, and the more you drink, the better we sound. We don’t like to be pigeonholed, so just come with an open mind. We’re confident in what we deliver, and we promise you’ll have a great time.
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