Troy Redfern + Red Giant @ Joe Joe Jim’s Bar, Birmingham – Friday 9th May 2025

18 May 2025

Review by Paul H Birch, photos by Martin Tierney

“Why Don’t You Tell Me Why You’re Treating Me So Bad?” sings out YouTube presenter and guitar prodigy Dave Simpson, up on stage fronting power A trio Red Giant – And we know that because the venue has kindly hung up a banner stating so, albeit it’s not as big as the lumps of timber shaped out to read “Troy Redfern” that are nailed to the back walls. If that all sounds a pit primitive, it ain’t.

Listed one of the Top 20 UK Blues venues by the Blues Federation, this is a small but palatial venue. A busy front bar and a back room where bands play. On entering, it’s almost like you’ve checked into a hotel, directions for toilets, food, bar etc are all pointed out for my convenience. But, onto the band,

Skewered rock with a slight psychedelic bent, freewheeling alt rock soundscapes is what I’m hearing right now. There’s a passing resemblance to the blues but just readily there’s a grunge approach at work, and the songs themselves tend to be on the short side. Rhythmic rock with hard driven snarling sustaining to them.

Simpson himself fits the atypical alt.rock image, bobble-hatted, spectacled, an inward approach save in his playing and when addressing the crowd. Behind the drumkit sits large but agile John Joe Gaskin but the full name of the young man on bass escapes me. It’s possibly Johnny Ships. Having seen Keira Kenworthy featured on a recent video I’d assumed she’d be pulling double time, playing with them and Troy Redfern later. In fact, she’s a no show, and hopefully not unwell.

‘The Dark Side Of Me’ is described as “a nice Christmas ditty!” and sits comfortably as bedsit grunge. ‘Why’ features busking electro-folk warm rhythms that contrast with its melancholy lyrics, while ‘What You Gonna Do’ is the first time they’ve played it on the tour. A slow blues, with the guitar being used previously owned by one of Simpson’s own heroes who comes from this neck of the woods, apparently. He’s an interesting guitarist; keen on expressive sound, his voice serviceable, but the brevity of some songs just when they get going and the indifferent genre of some fall between the cracks.

Swopping guitars for a cover of Rory Gallagher’s ‘Bad Penny’, the tone of his guitar suits the tune well, and it’s a great song. However, what appealed to me was his almost matter-of-fact approach when vocalising the lyrics. Unintended, I’m sure, but there’s an irony to them, and it’s like Talking Heads playing the blues, well, until they go into a reggae section. Whatever my muted feelings at times, the audience have been receptive all night, and whether it’s because of it being a cover they respond very well to this one.

Next up, ‘Monsters’ with its anthemic upbeat grunge rock vibe has an epic approach yet ends quite soon, then we’re informed: “This is the last tune of the evening”. As it is, the pounding, good time garage rock, and bop feel of ‘Devil In Need’ proves a good one to end on.

A short while later, this pedestrian is looking at the facsimile of a car front parked on stage. I’m presuming it to be a customised amp but time will reveal it just to be spotlights. For a while I’ve noticed floor tom, snare and cymbal up there too and been wondering when they’re going to get round to setting it up. In fact, Nicky Waters just moves it a little more forward as legs astride, he starts banging away.

Resonator guitar in hands, Troy Redfern faces off the drummer, and it becomes apparent we’ll be watching a duo tonight, as set-up I’ve seen them enact previously. Facing audience strong of voice Redfern calls out “Shake, Shake, Shake” with one of those repeated lines being the song title. It’s full on, and the crowd is physically reacting already – I get the impression for many this is their first time seeing him and this a venue – practically in the countryside – that takes a punt on new acts coming to them locally and that’s great, because the weekend starts here and now for while having seen the guitarist a fair few times now and he’s on particularly fine form tonight.

So too, Waters, hair trimmed to mimic a mohawk with more or a punk/bikers look about him as he stands playing throughout the set, displaying energy and often a wide smile. Redfern is decked out in his usual black leather loons, vest, beads, and low brim hat, and maybe an extra tattoo for all I know. Seriously, he’s in particularly good form, a batch of strong numbers delivered with creative and wild playing, some showmanship and the responsive audience has good to be good for the old ego.

“How you doing? Feeling good?” he ask alongside some mighty applause accompanying the fading of power charged chords. With a change of guitar and a big beat behind ‘Taking My Soul’ is next with some psych-driven soloing. It’s followed by what he refers to as a “new song” as his looper pedal sets off backing rhythms, over which he applies echoed slide and solos in unexpected directions with lots of dramatic poses from the photogenic pairing on stage. ‘Take Me High’ hooks in earnest in a Stones meets T Rex manner as anthemic rocker. Swinging his upper body from side to side, shuffling his ass now and again, all while singing, then raising a leg and his guitar as he and drummer hit strategic points in the song. Basically, Redfern’s throwing al the right shapes… As will be appreciated by at least three ladies who I note entering later, whose expressions say it all.

Improvising away, his voice is cool, playing in extended form, slide excursion verge into latter day Page sound scaping, followed by a heavy voodoo stomp slowing down back into song. Changing instrument to an electric sitar eastern sounds zither out, harp sounds form prior to some Indian raga, Waters playing alongside him, then latterly loops as Redfern picks up a guitar, capo placed around second fret, and inlays riffs, vocally coming across like Alice Cooper here as I’ll notice with another couple of numbers later too. Mixing voodoo blues to a potential Bond theme there’s extensive soloing with more exploratory soundscapes. Tonight, there’s a great vigour and a creative push to what he’s doing albeit some heavy bass vibrations nearly spoil things, but there’s a sound guy racing about with a laptop looking to fix that, and he soon does.

With Waters’ name announced he begins to beat his floor tom while holing a shaker in his left hand. Redfern creates ping-ponging squeals of harmonics ahigh past the fretboard before storied chords begin to establish themselves into rhythmic chugging, snarling into the microphone: “I’ve been searching through this wasteland!” before possessed he strides either side of stage sliding in solo, the pair eventually bringing the whole thing down to a slower beat while adding melodies that echo back and forth.

‘Western’ is the working title for their next song, we’re told and they’ve been trying it out on stage during the tour. Whether the title remains, spaghetti westerns will be on your mind upon hearing it. Going through various moods and modes the interplay between drummer and guitarist, visually as well as aurally ensures no-one’s going the bathroom during this one. They then slip keenly into a cover of ‘John The Revelator’ that’s a deep-throated proclamation, its lyrics contrasting with the apocalyptic blues undertow pounding away.

“Thank you so much for coming out tonight and keeping live music going!” Redfern declares, continuing, “Gonna try a little something off the new record; a little thing called ‘All Night Long’!” A rocker, tonight there’s an added sleaze rock approach to it that puts me in mind of L.A. Guns. Either way, the dynamic duo are still going strong with not a drop of sweat on them despite it being a warm night and them not exactly standing rigid up on stage. For the musos reading, Redfern’s got a capo set around fourth fret on this one. Raising his right leg, guitar body resting against it once more resounding conclusory power chords ring out, followed my more thanks to the crowd and a special one to Ian McWee (if I caught the name right) who makes his actual slides and is present tonight.

Keeping the momentum going they continue with ‘Van Helsing’ and ‘Sweet Carolina’ where there’s heavy blues, strident rock, and sexual provocation on offer, aided by some highly able tape loops. The latter number’s rearranged somewhat with more of a Detroit rock attitude this evening. Redfern solos centre stage, then side-on playing off Waters, getting ever faster, before moving back and forth across the stage. Barely stopping for a breath they’re into ‘Come On’, the audience joining in enthusiastically, energy levels high all round. And that’s good as we’re told we’re “got time for a couple more.”

Apparently one of Redfern’s own favourite of his numbers, ‘Waiting For Your Love’ is “a little blues boogie” – There’s a frenzy of feedback, effects and echoing triplet hammer-ons, a country blues style work out all while Waters effectively just hits one drum stick against the other with varying compelling rhythms, the song proceeding with a great wall of sound threatening to engulf us, only for Redfern to exclaim: “Gonna leave you with a track from the Fire Cosmic album – ‘Sanctify’!” and some jiggety, slippery, hip stirring blues boogie follows before a Hendrix styled break, and a whole host of aural soundscapes that work: a hint of eastern scales blowing in, a blast of wah-wah, ethereal space sounds, a little psychedelia all merging together before a final blast of sound and a final “Cheers! Thanks very much!”

The applause is both loud and genuine, two voices off to my might left chatting “Brilliant!” responded by “absolutely!” I can do nothing but nod approvingly, Redfern and Waters gave it more than 100% tonight, and it bodes well for things to come.

Set List: