ALBUM REVIEW: Live At Gothic Theatre – Red City Radio
The best thing about your favourite band releasing a new album? Hearing it live. However, what happens if you can’t see it live? The answer to that is a live album, of course. Punk-rockers RED CITY RADIO have been around since 2007, so naturally Live At Gothic Theatre has fan-favourites among the 12 tracks on offer here, but it also crucially has songs from their latest album Paradise, which was released in December 2020.
Where Does the Time Go? kicks off the album. The only sound that can be heard is the snare drum and violins, which creates a calming atmosphere. The band had a good idea when they decided to record this in a theatre; the sound is just that whole lot larger, and it comes across in the record. Of course, live records can be a bit hit or miss. However, this opening song blows the listener away with just how powerful it is.
Baby Of The Year is a funky rock song that has a fantastic drum beat. The instruments play off each other well. However, the only issue with the album is that each song stops and starts without any transition, thereby losing the live effectiveness. Furthermore, the band are not playing in front of a live audience. This means that anything that distinguishes this album from any studio album – such as cheering or shouts from the crowd – aren’t there. This is a shame, because it would just benefit from that audience feedback.
On the positive side of things, RED CITY RADIO don’t let this hold them back. Electricity is a song that crawls out of the speakers and commands you to get up and dance. In fact, the band are at the top of their game, and the energy radiates from the audio alone. Even through you can’t see them, you can imagine them having the time of their lives.
Rebels, 100,000 Candles and Paradise are three rock songs that bring an energy that is as bright as the cover art. The band have great chemistry, and they bounce off each other well. In fact, you wouldn’t know that bassist Derik Envy has only been in the band since 2019. RED CITY RADIO cover pretty much every genre of rock across their 12 song set, even leaning into heavy metal at points. They are true masters of rock music.
In conclusion, Live At Gothic Theatre is a strong album, but it is let down by the lack of audience. Every live show that a band plays is an exciting thing, and it’s nice that RED CITY RADIO are finally playing songs from their recent releases that they wrote. However, in playing to an empty room filled with video cameras, something just doesn’t quite work for them. The production of the album is fantastic, and the band have a high-energy set, but there is just something key that is missing: the fans.
Rating: 6/10
Live At Gothic Theatre is out now via Pure Noise Records.
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