I’m resisting with every pore in my body to start this review with “Ahoy”, “Me-Hearties” or even a lazily barked “Geearrgh!”, because it’s just too easy. Besides, Red Rum have all that covered and already have their work cut out getting their Pirate vessel afloat from land-locked Nottinghamshire in the middle of Old Blighty, but their determination to pen a memorable shanty or ten is proof that being a Pirate is more about heart and belief rather than easy access to something as trivial as an ocean. Red Rum mean it too, there’s no merely dressing up and wafting vaguely at it a-la modern day Running Wild, nope, every track is unmistakeably Pirate Metal through and through. They sound like they’re living it!
Comparisons may be drawn with Scotland’s Alestorm, but Red Rum actually approach their style from a more traditional folk-based musical stand-point and lyrically are more about storytelling…as well as drinking, obviously. Actually, who am I kidding, most of the songs are about drinking to be honest – they could easily give Tankard a run for their money in that department, but the songs are deliberately steered so much towards sing-along and instant memorability that it would be hard to sing about anything else. After all, historically Pirates aren’t the deepest of souls, take out drinking, sailing, fighting, fornicating or searching for treasure and your average accountant might have more of a social life than a Pirate, so stick to what you know eh? ’50 Gallons Of Ale’, ‘Drunken Pirates (Ahoy!)’, Drunk and Disorderly’, ‘Rekt’, ‘Make Port, Drink Port’…yeah, you get the idea….and why not?
It goes without saying that Red Rum are not to be taken too seriously, they’re all about fun, good times…and drinking. But also they are about writing some rather fine songs too – every track is an upbeat foray into frivolity and silliness, deliberately so, but these guys (and a girl) certainly know how to play and write a memorable song. The vocals are sung (albeit in time-honoured Pirate style of course) rather than loosely shouted (which others in the genre resort to) which also gives Red Rum a folk authenticity and an added accessibility for anyone who just fancies a light-hearted folk-ridden song with amusing lyrics that doesn’t take itself too seriously or have hidden meanings (other than drinking of course). So if you leave your cynicism at the far end of the gang-plank, Red Rum are utterly entertaining and great fun, as well as being bloody good at what they do. And as it should be, the songs are pretty damn good when you first hear them, but they do actually get better and better the more you drink – so as the band say “Splice the Mainbrace, Let’s get Shit-faced!”
(7.5/10 Andy Barker)
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