Interview with The Redroom: ‘I think our next single is our best one yet’

Newcastle-based indie band, The Redroom, released their powerful, bluesy-rock, second single, ‘Forced Stability’, last month with a new single due out early this year.

They comprise Jess Lewis Ward (vocals), Charlie McDonald (drums), Jake Elliot (guitar) and Dominic Aldridge (bass). They met at school when Charlie, Jake and Dom were a cover band in a talent show. ‘We were doing Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ but we didn’t have a singer, so we got Jess to sing with us,’ Charlie laughed. Their name is a reference to both the red light outside a darkroom when photos are being developed and to a red room where they’ve played, as well as to the red room in the TV show Twin Peaks, according to Charlie.

‘Forced Stability’ was written by Jess: ‘It’s about when you’re in a relationship and something is going wrong but you force yourself to be stable,’ Charlie said. ‘Jess has such a powerful voice. We got to play it once live this year when it wasn’t really finished. Jess has written a lot of songs in lockdown.’ I say that she reminds me of a young Amy Winehouse and he agrees. ‘Yeah, she gets Amy Winehouse a lot and Gwen Stefani.’

As the song goes: ‘I know under the lack of laughter and the forced stability she gives, I know that she’s not me, this is the final chapter, I’ll say my goodbyes. I’m sick of all the games and I’m sick of all the lies.’

‘Jess brought it to the band and we all worked on the song over a few sessions,’ Charlie said. ‘We had the bare bones of the song before the pandemic started and when everything opened back up, we proceeded to work back on it, everyone added their own part into it and the final product was amazing.’ In September, the band headed to Blast Studios after the song was finally finished, and with help from Olly Cobb (producer and sound engineer), the song was brought to life. 

‘If we’re all together, it’s like a well-oiled machine!’

In October, they released their first single ‘Nostalgia’, which packs an equally big punch. ‘Jess wrote it about three people she’s been with in relationships,’ Charlie said. ‘It’s about the good stuff and not the bad stuff. We’ve got another song in the works. I think our next single is our best one yet. I wrote the chords and the guitar part and Dom did the bass. Everyone had an idea and put in a bit of melody.’ Dom jumps in: ‘If we’re all together, it’s like a well-oiled machine!’ Jake agrees: ‘Charlie writes really great drums, when it comes down to it, we’re quite rhythm-based.’

There’s a certain wistfulness that comes across in the lyrics: ‘I think it’s nearly 3 a.m., we’ve stayed up too late again but this will always feel just right, sitting here and chatting shite. Turn off the telly while you take the cups next door and I will make the bed a little warmer than it was before you lived next door.’

They are all big fans of Sam Fender, with whom Jess has sung. ‘It was in February last year (2020) at his O2 Academy gig,’ Charlie said. ‘There were 3,000 people there and everyone was trying to get his attention but Jess had a sign! He picked her from the audience and said: “Promise me you’re not shit!” She laughed and told him she wasn’t, he couldn’t believe it when she started to sing. She sang ‘Saturday’ with him. She was buzzing, it was surreal!’

Growing up, they’ve all had very different musical influences. ‘I’m a wild card,’ Dom laughed. ‘I got brought up by my sister on Paramore, Arctic Monkeys, Oasis and My Chemical Romance.’ Charlie interjects: ‘My favourite is The 1975 and Inhaler, they’re both very rhythm-full bands and the 75’s drummer does everything behind the scenes, a bit like me!’ Jake’s musical journey has taken a different path: ‘I was brought up on classic rock but now in the last year, I’ve been listening to The Smiths and The Cure. We’re very different but we all have a similar indie pop feel.’

When it comes to their ideal line-up, Dom is the first to decide: ‘I’d go for another wild card,’ he said. ‘Yungblud, his energy is unmatched.’ Charlie is still thinking but then says: ‘I’d go with The 1975 so that I could play on George Daniel’s drum kit!’ Jake goes with Jimi Hendrix: ‘It’d be insane!’

(Photo from left to right: Dom, Charlie, Jess and Jake)