Rouge -“Edge Of The Bed”

The band Rouge throw up a few surprises with the release of this debut EP. Firstly, and without wishing to sound sexist, is the fact they are an all female four piece. Whilst lazy comparisons have been made to Haim the more relevant contemporary is probably Deep Valley. It is also somewhat unexpected that they hail from London where you would perhaps picture a Southern US or Mississippi blues based band. They have certainly delivered a bunch of songs which have a real dirty blues feel.

The title track is the opening number and it’s a brash and bold blues rocker. It’s got a sludgy riff which brings to mind Led Zeppelin but then sneakily has a funky bass feel which almost gives it a hint of Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Whilst second track “Strike” is a more straight forward dirty blues song. It’s slower and has a more ‘restrained’ groove.

There is yet another change of emphasis on “Wilderness” as this time they add a southern feel which then shifts in to a soul vibe. It’s the sort of track which would be absolutely huge if it was released by The Black Keys. That soul influence comes out even stronger on “Limit To Your Love”. It’s the final track and provides a really classy end to the EP. It serves as yet another example of the really strong vocal performance that features on all the tracks and is a nice mellow ending.

This EP is really great because in four relatively short songs the band not only deliver excellent, strong songs but also a diversity and range that so few bands manage to achieve over a full album. The songs just have a feel of classics from times gone by. There is certainly plenty to enjoy and it will surely generate a load of interest for Rouge ahead of a full album.