The aptly entitled opener 'Stars N Space' was an exhilarating introduction to the orbital riffs and raw soaring vocals of Red Mojo. Front man Len led Warrington's rasping quintet with unassuming sincerity between songs and rock like solidity mingled with passion and belief during them, as the vocals though sparse at times, rose above the pummeling percussion and sharp retro instrumentals to deliver defiance and emotion that was borne out in 'Nobody Else'. Combining the raw sound of an early days The Rolling Stones with the convincing belief and tightness of The Music; Red Mojo still remain untainted by the falseness and desire to please the industry, unlike many bands who have been together since 1997.

The longing nature of ‘When Your Not Around’ provided the most poignant moment of the evening, as Len and company implanted memories of the fragile feeling of longing and loneliness into the mind of compelled onlookers. An explosive ending to a rousing and refreshing set was provided in ‘Suddenly Unexpected Man’ that sore this retro scorcher explode, with the inclusion of the chorus extracted from the Super Furry Animals number; ‘The Man Don’t Give A Fuck’.

It was hard to know what to expect from a DJ Set from The Coopers, does what they play give an indication as to what has been influencing the making of their third album, or are they just in town to blow away northern frowns with their eclectic sounds. It was not a full band showing, as bassist Didz Hammond and drummer John Harper generally took control, opening proceedings with some quirky underground garage beats. Then they commenced airing favourites like Iggy Pop’s ‘Lust for Life’, Graham Coxon’s ‘Freaking Out’ and naturally the Squeeze fun bag that is ‘Cool For Cats’ was let out of the bag. The crowd was modest in size, but those who had appeared seemed to appreciate The Cooper’s range. Didz circulated the room chatting to captivated listeners like the ultimate host; all he needed was a plate of sausage rolls.

Review by David Adair

Related Links:

www.redmojo.co.uk
www.thecoopertempleclause.co.uk
Red Moho GU Profile