# Red Rum Club
**Red Rum Club** are an English alternative rock band from Liverpool, Merseyside, formed in 2016, known for a brass-driven indie sound built around a single trumpet. The sextet consists of Fran Doran (lead vocals), [Tom Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-williams) (guitar, backing vocals), Michael McDermott (guitar, backing vocals), Simon Hepworth (bass), Neil Lawson (drums), and, until 2026, Joe Corby (trumpet).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/red-rum-club-mn0003776332) Their sound has been described as "Mariachi Merseybeat", blending indie rock, Britpop, and [Americana](https://www.edgepedia.org/americana) with western-inspired undertones.[2](https://first-avenue.com/performer/red-rum-club/) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/red-rum-club-mn0003776332)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Formed 2016 in Liverpool by six members who had all played in separate bands[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/red-rum-club-mn0003776332) |
| Signature element | A solitary trumpet, giving a sound the band describes as "like six Scousers being extras in a Quentin Tarantino western film"[3](https://albertsshed.co.uk/red-rum-club-interview/) |
| Albums | Matador (2019), The Hollow of Humdrum (2020), How to Steal the World (2021), Western Approaches (2024), Buck (2025)[4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7256401b-6b89-47cd-8d9b-401f7dd0c1c1) |
| UK chart peaks | Western Approaches number 8; Buck number 7 on the UK album chart[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/red-rum-club-mn0003776332) |
| Label | Modern Sky UK, signed in 2018; a licensing deal with New York-based AVENUE A followed in 2025[5](https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/red-rum-club-tickets/artist/5239868) • [2](https://first-avenue.com/performer/red-rum-club/) |
| Lineup change | Trumpeter Joe "the Blow" Corby departed in April 2026 after a ten-year stint[6](https://sites.bu.edu/wtbu/2026/05/20/review-red-rum-club-brighton-music-hall-4-28/) |
## Formation and early years
All six members originally played in separate bands before forming Red Rum Club in 2016, many of them meeting for the first time through a shared rehearsal space.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/red-rum-club-mn0003776332) The members come from Bootle and Waterloo in the Liverpool area, and frontman Fran Doran has said the group only "got serious" around 2016, beginning to think of music as a career; the name Red Rum Club itself came about in 2018, after months of songwriting at Liverpool's Elevator Studios.[7](https://theguideliverpool.com/how-red-rum-club-went-from-pubs-in-bootle-to-international-fame/) The name was taken from *The Shining*: early instrumental demos struck a friend as eighties post-punk with a spooky vibe, and he suggested watching horror films for a name.[8](https://www.musicistoblame.co.uk/2025/08/red-rum-club-shining-is-to-blame.html)
The band released their first single, "Alone Together", on Rooftop Records in November 2016, and in 2017 opened the main stage of Liverpool Sound City.[5](https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/red-rum-club-tickets/artist/5239868) By 2018 they had signed with Modern Sky and announced a major UK tour; the debut album *Matador* followed in January 2019, and its release brought another tour plus an invitation from BBC Introducing to play [Glastonbury](https://www.edgepedia.org/glastonbury).[5](https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/red-rum-club-tickets/artist/5239868) *Matador* reached number 47 on the UK Official Album Chart Sales and number 5 on the alternative chart.[9](https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/red-rum-club/) In their early years the band booked their own shows and built a following through extensive UK touring, selling out the 1,200-capacity O2 Academy in Liverpool.[9](https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/red-rum-club/)
## Albums and growing chart success
The band's second album, *The Hollow of Humdrum*, arrived on Modern Sky in October 2020, preceded by the singles "Kids Addicted", "Eleanor", "Ballerino", and "The Elevation"; an acoustic version, *The Hollow Sessions*, followed in April 2021.[10](https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/artist/5239868) • [4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7256401b-6b89-47cd-8d9b-401f7dd0c1c1) The third album, *How to Steal the World*, was released on 22 October 2021. Critics placed it in a Britpop and older guitar-pop lineage, with the horns and a funk element giving it color, though reviewers were divided: The Soundboard scored it 5/10 and found the execution thin in spots, while Reyty Good Magazine praised the trumpet-led standout tracks such as "Vibrate" and called it a strong testament to indie-pop.[11](https://thesoundboardreviews.com/2021/11/10/review-round-up-converge-chelsea-wolfe-heart-attack-man-red-rum-club/) • [12](https://rgm.press/we-review-the-new-album-by-red-rum-club-how-to-steal-the-world/review/)
**Chart breakthrough.** *Western Approaches*, released on 23 February 2024, became the band's first UK Top 10 album at number 8.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/red-rum-club-mn0003776332) The fifth album, *Buck*, released on 5 September 2025, reached number 7, their highest chart position to date.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/red-rum-club-mn0003776332) *Buck* pulls more influence from country music and is thematically shaped by the band's repeated tours of America; the band has described it as born of frustration with industry push-back, and it earned an Official Charts recognition award.[13](https://vinylfantasyreviews.co.uk/2025/09/13/album-review-red-rum-club-buck/) • [2](https://first-avenue.com/performer/red-rum-club/) Alongside the album, the band signed a licensing deal with the New York label AVENUE A, promoting the record across North, Central, and South America, and embarked on a sold-out UK headline tour followed by their biggest North American tour to date supporting [The Wombats](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-wombats).[2](https://first-avenue.com/performer/red-rum-club/) The single "Any Minute Now", released on 1 October 2026, was their first new music since *Buck*.[14](https://thesongbirdhq.com/2026/10/01/red-rum-club-any-minute-now-single-review/)
## Live career
Live performance has been central to the band's rise. In 2025 they played Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Tramlines, and Y Not, toured with The Wombats, and headlined an 11,000-capacity show at [Aintree Racecourse](https://www.edgepedia.org/aintree-racecourse) in Liverpool, a fitting venue given the band's racing-themed name.[15](https://www.cvfm.org.uk/index.php/news/item/2098-red-rum-club-and-adult-dvd-revealed-as-first-headliners-for-stockton-calling-2027) • [8](https://www.musicistoblame.co.uk/2025/08/red-rum-club-shining-is-to-blame.html) In January 2026 they played intimate shows for Independent Venues Week, including a quickly sold-out date at Sidney & Matilda in [Sheffield](https://www.edgepedia.org/sheffield), where Doran told the crowd that grassroots venues were funding the band's trip to a US music conference.[16](https://nowthenmagazine.com/live-reviews/2026/if-you-see-us-on-jimmy-kimmel-its-thanks-to-you-red-rum-club-at-sidney-matilda-sheffield) A UK tour in October 2026 took in London's O2 Forum Kentish Town, Rock City in [Nottingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/nottingham), and other venues, and the band was announced as a headliner for Stockton Calling 2027.[15](https://www.cvfm.org.uk/index.php/news/item/2098-red-rum-club-and-adult-dvd-revealed-as-first-headliners-for-stockton-calling-2027) • [5](https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/red-rum-club-tickets/artist/5239868)
**Lineup change.** On 27 April 2026, one day before their North American tour was due to begin, the band announced that Joe Corby would be departing after a ten-year stint.[6](https://sites.bu.edu/wtbu/2026/05/20/review-red-rum-club-brighton-music-hall-4-28/) The Guide Liverpool credits the band's "Mersey Mariachi" character largely to the former trumpeter.[7](https://theguideliverpool.com/how-red-rum-club-went-from-pubs-in-bootle-to-international-fame/)
## Style and influences
The band defines its sound as "like six Scousers being extras in a Quentin Tarantino western film", citing [The Coral](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-coral) and Echo and the Bunnymen alongside the film composer [Ennio Morricone](https://www.edgepedia.org/ennio-morricone).[3](https://albertsshed.co.uk/red-rum-club-interview/) AllMusic characterizes their songs as catchy with spaghetti western-inspired undertones, and the band has said Bootle's seafaring, industrial heritage and frequent US tours both feed into the music.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/red-rum-club-mn0003776332) Reviewers have noted the interplay of trumpet with guitar riffs and prominent basslines, and comparisons have ranged from [The Zutons](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-zutons) to Blossoms and Madness.[12](https://rgm.press/we-review-the-new-album-by-red-rum-club-how-to-steal-the-world/review/) • [16](https://nowthenmagazine.com/live-reviews/2026/if-you-see-us-on-jimmy-kimmel-its-thanks-to-you-red-rum-club-at-sidney-matilda-sheffield)
## References
1. [Red Rum Club Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/red-rum-club-mn0003776332)
2. [Red Rum Club, First Avenue](https://first-avenue.com/performer/red-rum-club/)
3. [Interview: Red Rum Club, Albert's Shed](https://albertsshed.co.uk/red-rum-club-interview/)
4. [Red Rum Club, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/7256401b-6b89-47cd-8d9b-401f7dd0c1c1)
5. [Red Rum Club Tickets, Ticketmaster UK](https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/red-rum-club-tickets/artist/5239868)
6. [REVIEW: Red Rum Club @ Brighton Music Hall 4/28, WTBU Radio](https://sites.bu.edu/wtbu/2026/05/20/review-red-rum-club-brighton-music-hall-4-28/)
7. [How Red Rum Club went from pubs in Bootle to international fame, The Guide Liverpool](https://theguideliverpool.com/how-red-rum-club-went-from-pubs-in-bootle-to-international-fame/)
8. [Red Rum Club: The Shining Is To Blame, Music Is To Blame](https://www.musicistoblame.co.uk/2025/08/red-rum-club-shining-is-to-blame.html)
9. [Red Rum Club, All About Jazz](https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/red-rum-club/)
10. [Red Rum Club Tickets, Ticketmaster UK (about page)](https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/artist/5239868)
11. [Review Round-Up: Red Rum Club, The Soundboard](https://thesoundboardreviews.com/2021/11/10/review-round-up-converge-chelsea-wolfe-heart-attack-man-red-rum-club/)
12. [We Review the New Album by Red Rum Club, RGM / Reyt Good Magazine](https://rgm.press/we-review-the-new-album-by-red-rum-club-how-to-steal-the-world/review/)
13. [Album Review: Red Rum Club – BUCK, Vinyl Fantasy Reviews](https://vinylfantasyreviews.co.uk/2025/09/13/album-review-red-rum-club-buck/)
14. [Red Rum Club – Any Minute Now – Single review, The Songbird](https://thesongbirdhq.com/2026/10/01/red-rum-club-any-minute-now-single-review/)
15. [Red Rum Club revealed as first headliners for Stockton Calling 2027, CVFM Radio](https://www.cvfm.org.uk/index.php/news/item/2098-red-rum-club-and-adult-dvd-revealed-as-first-headliners-for-stockton-calling-2027)
16. ["If you see us on Jimmy Kimmel, it's thanks to you": Red Rum Club at Sidney & Matilda, Now Then Sheffield](https://nowthenmagazine.com/live-reviews/2026/if-you-see-us-on-jimmy-kimmel-its-thanks-to-you-red-rum-club-at-sidney-matilda-sheffield)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Rock, indie, and pop groups › Indie and alternative bands › Indie pop bands › British and Irish indie bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license