Live Review//The Red Suns at Glassfire

On the best of evenings Hoylake is a sleepy place. When night falls and the only shops open are hypnotically lit supermarkets the people disappear on cue. But there was a definite reason to brave the streets on a chilly evening recently when The Red Suns played an excellent set at local rock 'n' roll venue Glassfire.

As the venue filled with locals the atmosphere was hotting up and when support band Slow Panda made their way to the stage the crowd drew forward making the intimate space of the venue seem even more busier. In averse to the implications of their name the band are neither sloth like or endangered and (despite some occasionally overbearing reverb) their mostly instrumental psychedelic rock went down very well. They did a lot with their triple-primed weapons of drums, bass and guitar  and their set, most notably the slow build up of 'Vanilla' to a near thrash was excellent.

They made a perfect companion to the main band The Red Suns (pictured), coming as ever to the stage with a ninja like grip to their sound. With beeps and feedback aplenty it was business as usual as they played what was seemingly their longest set with some quieter moments as well the usual psychedelia infused epics. The quieter, more reflective moments were effective in their placing, putting the sharp reverb of their muscular sound into relief. Recent single Racing Cars was a highlight among many and although the band were also victims of the echoey sound of the venue on occasion this was a perfect reason to venture beyond the curtain of sleep to a truly unique venue. 

Reviewed by Sebastian Gahan. Image by Scattershot (c) 2012