Red Rooster Festival 1^st-3^rd June 2023 Euston Hall

You only need to read some of our reviews of previous years to know that Red Rooster is one of our favourite events on the festival scene. Usually, we struggle to make the opening day but this year things worked in our favour, so we were camped up on Thursday and excitedly awaiting the opening of the music area (and the food market!).

So, we got our first taste of the wonderful musical offerings of Rooster early on Thursday evening with the wonderful Dylan Kirk and The Killers. Given the name and the presence of a keyboard it inevitably leads to us thinking of artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. To be fair adding a bit of Curtis Perkins rockabilly into the mix makes that a pretty good summary of the sound. It’s a boogie woogie start to the weekend and gets all the early starters firmly in the party mood. It was great to see a few people jive dancing and it all added to the sense of joy in the tent.

We then got to see Us (great band not sure the name will help with googling the band – which everybody who saw them will have wanted to do). They have a youthful look and deliver a bit of a punkier sound then we normally see at Red Rooster (which is great for us). There’s still a lot of rock n roll in it but it’s delivered at a fast pace and with a spit and sneer. Already clearly a great live band and they kind of reminded us of a more rock n roll/country-based Hives.

The final band we saw on the Thursday was the Black Cat Boppers. From the off you know that this is a band of musicians who know how to work a crowd. They have some real aces up their sleeve with the brass players, a double bass and a stand-up drummer. That’s even before we get to the powerhouse vocals. Chuck in some blistering guitar work and you have the perfect mix for a great festival band. It was obvious that even at this early stage that they would end up being many peoples band of the festival, especially as their sound so perfectly matched the afternoon sunshine.

Friday also started with a band that perfectly matched the vibe of Red Rooster., Take Me To The River Allstars. They were quite a coup for the festival given the grammy award winning film and their promise of New Orleans style and Memphis Soul was exactly what the crowd was looking for. They immediately won the crowd over with the brass musicians leading a procession through the tent and the full band are soon giving the crowd no choice but to lap up their infectious good time music. But let’s be honest given that they featured former members of Al Green’s backing band, it was no surprise their set was just awesome.

We then headed over to the Little Red Rooster stage having been intrigued by the description of The Men Who Fell To Earth. It’s a high-risk strategy playing Bowie songs but their almost ‘muzak’ version was a bit unusual. They don’t have a vocalist, so each song is just an instrumental. It may work in some ways, but it doesn’t seem right to hear these great songs without the words. But it still gets people up and dancing which is the most important thing.

They are followed by Eileen Rose who immediately develops a great rapport with the crowd. She has then onside with her onstage charm and the mix of originals and some well-placed covers. So, we get some country, some rock n roll, a bit of Little Richard and Dolly Parton – what’s not to like! She’s a really charismatic performer and delight the crowd.

We’re back over to the main stage for GA20, a band whose large sound demands a big space. Their sound is a powerful mixture of blues, country and rock n roll. They manage to deliver the type of dirty blues sound that Jack White has spent his career searching for. It’s a bundle of emotions with a genuine sense of passion for their music driving it. Their dirty groove rock sound was the perfect lead into the evening entertainment.

Nude Party bring a very contemporary twist to their county rock n roll vibe. It may have a 70’s style to their dress but there is a very rock n roll feel to the band. They’re certainly a super tight group of musicians and they are eagerly cheered on by the large crowd. They actually remind us a bit of Roberto Romario and they have a commerciality to them which means they’re a band who have the potential to cross over more into the mainstream. They’re definitely up there as one of our favourite bands of the festival.

Although they have a huge rival for that in His Lordship. They were probably the band we were most looking forward to seeing. We were therefore a bit concerned when only two members turned up on stage. They quickly informed us that the bass players girlfriend had gone into labour. They admitted that having considered cancelling the gig they opted to have a go at knocking out some straight up rock n roll as a duo. The crowd was certainly glad they did as it gave us the opportunity to see a unique set, which saw their own tunes reduced to their core and some great covers. It’s a testament to the quality of the musicianship and the songs that they pulled this off with no issues at all. Mind you who isn’t going to enjoy a band like His Lordship blasting out Gene Vincent tracks. We can’t help but think that next year the band will be back as headliners.

Tonight’s headliner is the equally impressive Fantastic Negrito. By now the temperature outside the tent has turned quite cold but he promises to get us hot. The absolutely rammed tent helps with that but it’s the music which really means there is no doubt he will fulfil that promise. There is more of a soul/funk sound compared to previous acts but there is still a slightly country flavour. It’s blues rock n roll but with a touch of Prince flair and funk thrown in. Other festival may be able to attract ‘bigger’ headliners (or more accurately more mainstream), but none will beat the musicianship on show at Red Rooster.

Having enjoyed the headliner and then dancing at the Howling Woods it wasn’t exactly an early start for us on the Saturday. We were, however, intrigued by the name of Frank From Blue Velvet so went to check them out. They played the kind of gothic roots rock that the name suggests. It’s certainly a darker sound which was in total contrast to the beautiful weather. The weather may have called for Pimms but the band’s sound was much more compatible with a straight bourbon.

Speaking of intriguing names, Honkey Finger were up next! But if anyone was looking for a quiet place to continue their snoozing then it wasn’t here. How just one man was able to create such a noise was quite incredible. The feedback drenched slide guitar was miles away from some of the acoustic country strumming you might associate with the Little Red Rooster stage.

The Downbeatz seemed to be a band who were determined to ensure that the crowd didn’t risk entering a late afternoon lull. Indeed, they implore the crowd to get on their feet and move closer to the stage. The audience is happy to comply and there are a fair few on their feet and dancing. The band’s sound is driven by a double bass and a drummer who smashes the harmonica as he keeps the beat.

Things then turn a lot more soulful with Sister Cookie on the main stage. There’s a real air of professionalism and style to her show. It’s a level of quality which suggests you won’t get the chance to see her this low on a bill or at smaller venues for very much longer. One of the things about this type of soul sound is that whilst it may sound ‘classic’ and retro, it will always be relevant.

Similarly, Nicole Atkins definitely has that ‘star quality’ which has you only predicting bigger and better things. There is also a more ‘contemporary’ feel to her sound than many of the other bands at the festival. If we had to put money on one act really breaking through to a wider audience then it’s Nicole. Mind you when you can call on a former Bad Seed member to write with you and join you on stage then you know you’re on to a winner. She also really knows how to handle a crowd and the combination of charisma and great songs will surely lead to even more success.

Chuck Prophet& The Mission Express are probably what you’d call a major act for Red Rooster and as a result the tent is absolutely packed. That’s impressive given the need for people to drag themselves away from the sunshine but probably shows he could easily have been a headline act. Certainly, the show he put on was deserving of closing the festival. It was straight up rock n roll but with the added benefit of throwing in some Johnny Thunders and some Petty esque melodies – quite a heady mix. There were so many great acts over the weekend, but this was probably the set of the festival for us.

Not wanting the festival to end we made our way back over to Little Red Rooster to catch Scott H Biram. We have to say he faced a tough job being at the more exposed stage with the temperature having now dropped considerably. Despite that fact, there is a decent crowd waiting for him to appear and he has clearly attracted some keen fans. As soon as he starts playing they are up on their feet and passionately singing along. But we shouldn’t be surprised, as his dirty country blues is just so perfect for Red Rooster.

That sadly brought our festival to an end but once again it was clear that it had been a huge success. Being held in late May the weather is always a risk but more often than not it has been good, and we can only assume that it is a result of the good karma the organisers have earnt. Every year it is a brilliant event and even with a summer of festivals still to come we are always excited about coming back to Red Rooster next year.