Red Rooster Festival – Euston Hall 30 May – 1 June 2024

The first band we get to see our Brown Horse and it’s good to see a local band opening as they’re from Norwich.  Whilst Norwich might be regarded as a city in the country, their sound seems to be inspired by a sunnier climate. There’s a country feel to their music but also an easy going 70s west coast melody. It’s a promising opening and a good introduction to the kind of sound you can expect at Red Rooster.

Next up is Kitty Liv who we have seen previously with Kitty, Daisy & Lewis at this festival. They were a band we had high hopes for but in all honesty found them a bit too controlled and serious. There seems to be more of a looseness to Kitty on her own and the songs seem a bit more rock and roll. She’s certainly seems to be excelling and plays a set which is full of great songs which are lapped up by the eager crowd. A high benchmark is set for the rest of the bands to reach over the weekend.

Sometimes you see an artist and just know you are in presence of greatness. Ashamedly we don’t know much about Robert Finley or his music, but the moment he hits the stage you know that he is a star. We have to acknowledge the fact that he is 70 years old but clearly that isn’t a factor for him. The man has a stage presence and voice to die for and he’s supported by a great band. The music is classic old school rhythm and blues. Each song they deliver brings Thetford a step closer to new Orleans. It may be cold and wet outside but inside that tent the atmosphere was hot! His remarkable voice is obviously hereditary as his daughter joins him onstage and sings a couple of numbers herself, including a great version of “Take Me To The River”. But this is her dad’s show and he continues to impress with his vocals and ability to engage with the crowd.

Friday starts with a bit of a blast from the past in the shape of The Caezars. We loved this modem rockabilly band when they first hit the scene a few years ago. In fact, we were proud to see they’re still using one of our lines in their press bio (when we wrote for mudkiss fanzine). The weird thing is that this is apparently one of their first times back playing in 10 years. Looking at them they must have been kids when they first started out! The good news is in their time away they haven’t really changed and are still delivering brilliant rock n roll with a rockabilly flair and style. The songs are great and the whole band really know how to put on a show. Alongside His Lordship, the Caezars are one of the few modern bands who can really nail this sound.  Definite contender for set of the festival.

It’s a tough act to follow, but Rosco Shakes immediately impress by having a singer drummer. For those of us who find keeping time hard enough, the concept of singing melody over the top is mind blowing. They offer a different sound which is organ heavy and with some big blues guitar work. It’s a bit more laid back, at least until it shifts into a heavier blues sound. 

Sometimes you witness a group of musicians where you know that you don’t have the words or comprehension to appreciate their musical ability. That’s certainly the case with North Mississippi Allstars. Their set gave us the chance to appreciate a host of talented musicians. Many of the Red Rooster crowd would know them but lots wouldn’t and they are certainly not household names. However, they deliver a set of rhythm and blues-based rock n roll that the packed tent absolutely loved.

They’re followed by an ensemble taking the name of Take Me To The River who are a performance group of amazing musicians. They basically take you on a tour through American music which includes a brass bands leading into jazz. We then get to behold a rhythm section of musical stars who have backed legends like Al Green. It’s the sort of line up of talent you feel privileged to be able to see (especially in a Norfolk field…so full credit again to the Red Rooster organisers). There are too many highlights to mention and it’s a real ‘needed to be there’ moment. But highlights for us were the Memphis soul section which really encapsulated what good music is all about, soul, passion and fun.

People we spoke to were a bit uncertain what to expect from Galen & Paul. Despite featuring the legendary Paul Simonon, a set of clash covers was always unlikely. What we did get was a surprisingly clean almost pop sound. There were hints at rock n roll but with the occasional Spanish influence and dare we say it cabaret. It was a quite unique end to the live acts for the night.

Saturday saw us waking up to a glimpse of sun and even more importantly no rain!! The Red Rooster site is a wonderfully picturesque setting and would also appear to dry out pretty quickly. It means there is a much more spring like (if not quite summer) feel to the entire festival site. That’s certainly good news as our first band is on the exposed Little Red Rooster stage. That band is Mama Oh No who provide a great musical start to the day. They deliver upbeat songs with a bit of a surf vibe feel to them. They are perfect for getting everyone in the mood for a day of fun, drinking and maybe even sunshine! Coincidentally this first band is also local and from Norwich…they must be putting something in the water around here or maybe it’s just the influence of having this great festival on their doorstep.

We then dash over to the main stage where we can already hear the rocking sounds of J.S. & the Lockerbillies. Now they must have known we’d be getting better weather today as they’re dressed in their finest Hawaiian shirts. It is no surprise that their songs fall into the classic 50s rock n roll sound. It’s brilliant and really gets the packed-out tent dancing and shouting. They get an unusually long set time for an early band but no one is complaining as it seems that the band and crowd are already in party mood! As the reaction from the crowd showed, they are another big contender for band of the festival.

If we’re honest, Swamp Trucks name probably tells you as much as you need to know about the band. It’s good old boys American rock. We’re not sure how many of the songs referenced wine, women and whisky but we expect it was most. They are faced by an enthusiastic crowd who we expect have found some perfect music to fuel their afternoon drinking.

The Cain Pit play what I’d guess you’d call bluegrass music, but with a bit of a twist. There’s a punk or even metal flavour in their sound which is driven by a double bass being played hard. The sound is raucous but still tuneful so manages to appeal to the broad spectrum of people in the crowd. If the bars were selling any moonshine influenced drinks they would’ve done a roaring trade during this set.

Regular readers will know we have a bit of an aversion to guitar and drums duos (a result of the amount of bands formed after the success of the White Stripes). But thankfully McKinley James were worth checking out. There is a blues rock feel to their sound but with a genuine rock n roll style. You also have to say that they generate a hell of a full sound for just two players. That’s evidenced by the way their sound attracts many passes by into the tent. We’d imagine that many of them would’ve been surprised to discover that just two guys were responsible for the big sound of rock n roll.

Vieira And The Silvers look exactly the way we like our rock n roll bands to look. We’ve gone from seeing a duo to this band which consists of 10 people (we think!). The sound is an amalgamation of loads of different styles, but it’s certainly rock n roll. They kind of remind us of Primal Scream when they want to be a proper rock n roll band. Sure, it looks like the singer may have seen Oliver Stones’ The Doors film a few too many times. Although he also throws in a few Jagger dance moves as well. But there’s no denying that he and the band are here to put on a show which has to be a good thing. In a landscape of boring bands, it’s good to see one that is intent on bringing some showmanship. The fact they also have a decadent rock n roll feel make them perfect for us. They’re the kind of band that you feel the music industry are going to have to take a chance on and not play it safe if they are to gain the success they will deserve. IT all ends up with them being the final contender for our band of the festival! WE can definitely see them coming back as headliners in the future.

Red Rooster has now firmly established itself as one of (if not the) best small festivals on the scene. They are brilliant at providing a really varied list of artists in terms of style, status and age.  There are loads of good, smaller bands who get the opportunity to play their only festival. Many of the acts are relatively unknown to the mass public but may still be internationally renowned musicians. That variety also means it seems to attract a crowd who are intent on appreciating the music and whose only focus is on having a good time. Once again Red Rooster delivered a very special weekend of music..roll on the next one!