UK Tour 2023: Bristol Exchange

“What an amazing night in Bristol! You sounded brilliant and it’s great to have some new songs. Haven’t smiled so much in years. Thank you for coming to the south west!!” Chris Crane Bristol

“Red Guitars absolutely brilliant in Bristol tonight!” Lee Flaneur Bristol

“Almost 40 years after I first saw them (supporting The Smiths, Rock City Nottingham, 15 February, 1984), Red Guitars still amazing. Best three-guitar band on the planet…” Darrell Mann Bristol

“Great to see the African inspired and still politically relevant after 40 years Red Guitars tonight at Exchange Bristol” Cllr Helen Thornton

“You were cooking on gas last night and the new songs got the applause they deserve. See you next in Oxford!’ Michael Yeats

“What an awesome show last night in Bristol, we had such a good time. Loved the new songs! Opening with Dive was sweet!” Rick Whitman

Photos by Richard Duffy-Howard


UK Tour 2023: Sheffield Dorothy Pax

On with the tour and the last northern gig at the Dorothy Pax in Sheffield before we head south.

“Red Guitars were an absolute treat again. Some belting new songs too!”  Eddie Coates-Madden

“Just got back from Sheffield. Red Guitars were as wonderful as ever. Small stage, huge sound.” Roger Millington

“When you’ve waited 40 years to see your favourite band from 1983 and they’re still bloomin’ brilliant!” Nigel King

“Magnificent gig by โฆRed Guitarsโฉ at the lovely โฆDorothy Paxโฉ bar down by Sheffield canal basin. Itโ€™s like the Cavern. Thanks to all concerned. Love the new tracks, bring on the LP.” Pop Music Tourism in Yorkshire

“A brilliant show as always from Red Guitars at The Dorothy Pax tonight.” Peter Matejic

“Wonderful night, so good. After all this time still fantastic!” Roger Wilde

The Sheffield gig was wonderful! One of the great nights! Terry Guest 

“The pure joy in these photos has made the gig at The Bullingdon in Oxford next Monday an essential rather than a possible! See you there!” Michael Ryan

Photos by Richard Duffy-Howard

Good Technology Launch Night Photos

Wow, that was a hot one! We had a brilliant time, playing for two hours – a set of favourites and three new songs – to a sold out full house on the hottest night of the year. What an atmosphere!

Thanks to everyone who came along, sang along and jumped about at our Good Technology 2023 launch gig at O’Rileys, Hull. It was a whirlwind and we had a fantastic night. Thanks to Terra Fin for a superb set opening the show, Jeff Parsons on the SP404, and to Darren and the team at O’Rileys. 

And a big thanks to everyone in the audience, especially all who travelled to Hull from far and wide for making it a fantastic night to remember!

Photos by Richard Duffy-Howard

Red Guitars are:

Jeremy Kidd vocals, Hallam Lewis lead guitar, John Rowley rhythm guitar, Lou Duffy-Howard bass, and Matt Higgins drums. Thanks to guest guitarist Jos Allen.

Look out for UK tours dates coming soon.

Good Technology 2023 Order Now! June 24th marks 40 years since Good Technology was released. Low stock remaining – limited edition red vinyl 12โ€ extended remix to celebrate the anniversary. Info and pre-order at the link: https://redguitars.co.uk/goodTech12inch.html

โ€œJust listening to a pre-release copy of Red Guitars extended 2023 remix of โ€˜Good Technology.โ€™ And I donโ€™t believe what Iโ€™ve heard. By a country mile, one of the greatest pieces of music Iโ€™ve heard in YEARS.โ€ London Peaky Webzine

Feast your eyes on all nine and a half minutes of the brand new video which accompanies the extended re-mixed and augmented edition of Red Guitars number 1 Indie hit Good Technology โ€“ originally released 40 years ago to the day.


Your Take Interview with Matt

Here’s Red Guitars drummer Matt Higgins’ interview for Your Take video magazine, autumn 2022.

Your Take: Can I ask you, when and where you were born? Can you give us some background on your parents and what they did for a living? Do you have any siblings?

Matthew Higgins: I was born in Leeds in 1961, my dad worked in Textiles and my mum was a teacher. I have 3 brothers, two older and one younger, and 2 of them are very musical.

Your Take: Do you come from a musical background and what music was being played around the house? What music went onto inspire you and what made you all decide to choose music as a career option?

Matt: My younger brother is an excellent pianist, and trained classically while one of my other brothers is a really good acoustic guitarist. I took up drums at aged 12ish, and it was always useful, because everybody I knew at school who wanted to be in bands was a guitarist or singer, so even if you were a crap drummer, just having some drums of any sort guaranteed you a place in at least one band!

Your Take: How did you join the Red Guitars? Can you talk about the early musical chemistry you had and why you gelled as a band?

Matt: When I went to Hull Uni in 1980, I wanted to carry on drumming. My brother introduced me to Hallam who was a friend of his. I first met Hal one October afternoon in his house in Hull. It was so cold that he was sitting in bed in an overcoat to try and keep warm. He got up to say hello, felt for his slippers but as he put them on there was a squelching sound and a smell. Unfortunately the cat had crapped in one of them! That was our first meet and from then on, we started to rehearse in the attic of that same house, where the meter would often run out and the call would go out, “anybody got 50p?”

Your Take: What are your recollections of recording the band’s debut album, Slow to Fade? What are your memories of the early tours and supporting, The Smiths and appearing on John Peelโ€™s radio sessions?

Matt: Recording the album was great. We’d been playing the songs live for a good while so we were pretty polished. We recorded at Fairview in Hull so we could go home every night and that was great!

The album was co-produced by a guy called Roy Neave who actually taught me a great deal about the discipline of drumming, not least keeping time, not  just pretty well, but very well. We worked with click tracks for the first time, really, and it was hard but really rewarding. If you can hear the click, you’re out  of time!

Supporting The Smiths was so timely! They released their first album during the tour and they were right on the verge of becoming huge! Because they invited us on the tour (Johnny Marr, really), it worked well financially and the fit was really good. We went down generally really well as a support band and I think we double-encored at Nottingham Rock City which was unprecedented. Doing the Peel sessions was new for us, in that everything is recorded very quickly and you completed 4 tracks in about 6 hours, I think, which meant that knowing the songs very well beforehand was a blessing. We met John Porter who produced one of these sessions as I remember; John also produced The Smiths first album, and in a world where you meet a lot of people who promise much and deliver little, John was a breath of fresh air. It was only in later years that I realised the vast amount of really superb work he has done, as a member of Roxy Music, but also as a very big blues producer in the States.

Your Take: Can you discuss phase 2 in the band’s musical journey?

Matt: Phase II of the Red Guitars after Jerry left produced, for me, 2-3 really good songs, like “Be With Me,” “National Avenue” and “America & Me.” We were courted by lots of record companies and eventually signed to Virgin who offered the best deal, but also seemed to be interested in our music as well, what a bonus! However, unfortunately the album we did with Virgin was more of a series of riffs, bits of lyrics and half-completed songs. Recording it was therefore difficult and the result was, in my opinion, disappointing. Nevertheless, we did it, and we were grown up enoughย  not to get too pushed around by the industry. We did lose a bit of control on the production side and that, in hindsight, was detrimental. It’s easy to be wise after the event!

Your Take: After your departure from the Red Guitars what did you go onto do and why?

Matt: When the band split, I went back to Uni to train and then jumped on the job bandwagon, including 25 years working in Marketing for a bank! Clearly this has boosted my credibility enormously. Subsequently, I’ve worked for charities, been a van driver, and in the last 2 years have become a qualified psychotherapist which is, along with the renaissance of the Red Guitars, my big thing these days.

Your Take Can you summarise your thoughts and feelings from the recent reunion tour? Do you have a favourite moment or memory? Can you describe the audiences and fans you met on the tour?

Matt: The recent tour was absolutely brilliant and I enjoyed every moment. Here I was, back with my bandmates and friends, almost 40 years on, and the impact was just fantastic. Loads of in-jokes, playing better than we did in the 1980s and playing to people who were genuine fans who seemed delighted to see us again. Every gig was very different but all had something unique. Playing again in Hull was obviously special, but they were all great. We’ve re-kindled the spirit of what we were about and while we’re all considerably older, the spark is still there. Hallam & Jerry’s songs are as relevant as ever, and we all have our strengths which means we work really well. It’s a pleasure and a privilege and while we’ve never been about international fame and acclaim, we’re pretty comfortable and confident that we’re not at all bad!

Look out for the full Your Take video interview with the band coming soon!

Two Weeks of Red Guitars

Red Guitars video shoot photo by Richard Duffy-Howard

It’s been a great two weeks of Red Guitars! All the band together again, much of it all round at JR’s place – room rehearsals working up the new album, mixing, recording extra parts and plotting next year’s anniversary release.

This week, we’ve had a fantastic time playing the new songs loud on the big stage with an excellent sound at O’Rileys in Hull,ย very exciting!

We’ve had three fab days video shoot with Factor Fifty Films at great locations.

And absolutelyย loads of laughs with friends throughout.

So now, Hal’s preparing to go back to Cape Town, the rest of us as near and far as Brighton and Yorkshire and indeed for now, Rome. We’ll continue polishing up the songs online. Here we are (above) on day two of the film shoot.

Below, room rehearsals, all round at JR’s

Live and loud new song rehearsals at O’Rileys. We’ve gone ampless for these rehearsals. The amp is being used as a table! Sounds excellent. Only my bass amp to lug around. I might have to investigate …

Hal’s nailing some licks, sounds fantastic. look at Pepper, she’s singing along.

We’ve had a brilliant time!

If our new songs have a touch of spaghetti western to them it’s because of the films we’ve been watching after rehearsals.

So, it’s hasta la vista for now, back to online chatting and playing for a while. More stories coming too, so see you next time! ๐Ÿค ๐Ÿ˜Ž

Red Guitars at Birmingham O2 Institute 2022

So that was it, our Slow to Fade reunion tour was over and we had a joyous adventure and the response has been unexpectedly amazing for us. Here’s the last set of photos and round up from the final gig of the tour at Birmingham’s O2 Institute. Big high five to all involved and a heartfelt thank you from all of us to everyone who came to the shows. Here’s to the next chapter!

Here we are, all the original band back together, Hallam Lewis, Jeremy Kidd, John Rowley, Matt Higgins and Lou Duffy-Howard, joined in 2022 by Jos Allen and Doug Swallow.

Fab set of photographs by Richard Duffy-Howard, have a look:

Thanks to our special guests Turning Black Like Lizards for a fab set and being great to work with. A big shout out to those who have been to more than one of the shows, sometimes nearly all of them, it’s been great to see familiar friendly faces – and to Andy who came the furthest to see us, all the way from Dubai to Birmingham.

Thank you to everyone who sent us lovely messages on social media, hereโ€™s a few:

“The Birmingham gig was breathtakingly brilliant. I still havenโ€™t come back down to Earth yet! Absolutely inspiring.” Tony Gillam

“I only wish I could have attended more than just the one; it was an absolutely fabulous night. If you can do it again, please, please do! Failing that, a live album would be a very lovely thing. Thank you.” David Brown

โ€œRed Guitars it’s taken 4 decades to see this band live, utterly awesome. A great night, you all sounded immense. And you all looked as if you enjoyed it.โ€ Chuck Middleton

โ€œWas the 3rd night in a row seeing this great band – last seen in 1986! Such utter joy to see these amazing people and musicians performing the songs that have shaped me, with sounds that turn you inside out. Thank you!!โ€ @MrRober16070170

โ€œA 38-year gap, but definitely worth the wait to see Red Guitars, recently reformed with all the original members. Thanks for a great show!โ€

โ€œOverjoyed to catch you live again last night – lovely to see the whole gang back together. Thanks for a great night – you nailed it! Many thanks also for all of you signing my 38-year-old gig poster (adding to Johnny Marr!) Safe journeys back to your various homes & continents.โ€ Tim Bourne

โ€œI think that the whole tour has been so enjoyable for everyone involved, and especially for the fans attending the gigs. The songs are just so good, and the musicianship has been spot-on, Jerry’s lyrics ever prescient and moving.โ€ Ian Stacey

โ€œI saw Red Guitars last week. First gig in over two years. A great night, and a real mental health boost.โ€œ Pete Moxon

โ€œLast night was one of those โ€˜momentsโ€™. A band that clearly meant a lot to people, sonically and politically. And the lyrics are so fresh still. Shaken not Stirred, Good Technology, Sting in the Tale, chillingly spot on. Am still buzzing.โ€ Steve Morgan

โ€œLovely stuff. I was a fan. Had GT (which still sounds great) after seeing them on The Tube and Marimba Jive. They got heavy rotation from me back in the day.โ€ Steven McKevitt

โ€œI never caught them first time round so this was a MUST!!! Excellent night, that bass, those guitars. Cracking night, much love!!!โ€ The New Fools

โ€œYup, brilliant night ! And another vote for more gigs please!โ€ Mike Jeffries

โ€œBrilliant gig; and really nice to be able to talk to some of the band.โ€ John McCabe

“They say never meet your Heroes. Well that does not apply to the Red Guitars. Brilliant band, Brilliant Gig and brilliant people. I waited 38 years to see them live and it was worth every single minute.”

“April ended with yet another gig in Birmingham and this was the best Iโ€™ve been to in many a long year. Birminghamโ€™s O2 Institute played host to a reformed Red Guitars โ€“ one of my favourite indie bands of the 1980s. In the early eighties, while the aforementioned Spandau Ballet were topping the charts with hits like True and Gold, Hull-based Red Guitars were crafting a unique blend of indie rock and African jit-jive and releasing a classic gem of an album called Slow to Fade. Seeing Red Guitars play songs like โ€˜Remote Control,โ€™ โ€˜Crocodile Tearsโ€™ and โ€˜Good Technologyโ€™ more than 30 years after this short-lived band split up seemed nothing short of miraculous and I was completely overwhelmed with a combination of joy and nostalgia for my youth. It was a pleasure to shake hands with bassist Lou Loudhailer, (who has featured elsewhere on this blog as part of Agent Starling.)” Tony Gillam, Passengers in Time

“Please do another show fantastic !!” Keith Phillips

โ€œWhat a night. Iโ€™ve waited since 1984 for this and you did not disappoint. Brilliant. Please tour againโ€ฆโ€ฆPLEASE.โ€ Steve Buck

And to close the post, Rob Slade’s review made me laugh out loud. I didn’t know he was there until the next day when it popped up on Facebook:

“On Saturday night my cousin Lou Duffy-Howard was playing for her band Red Guitars in the final concert of their first tour for many years, possibly their only and last gig so I felt the need to see them even though I get bored after five minutes unless the music is really good, eg Beethovenโ€™s 9th

It was a good decision – see the video … where Iโ€™ve alternated their promotional video of Good Technology from 40 years ago with my video of the band on Saturday. Itโ€™s the same band, the same people, playing the same music and better on Saturday night. My video is better as well!

Iโ€™m in the middle of playing a tennis marathon of more than 30 tennis matches in 30 days so so fitting it in wasnโ€™t easy

On Saturday I had a match at David Lloyd Trafford at 12pm which finished at 2:30pm and the gig started in Birmingham at 6pm

So it was just possible but I didnโ€™t really feel like making the effort for something I probably wouldnโ€™t like in a place I didnโ€™t like (Birmingham) so I had a leisurely shower and coffee (enjoy the moment, why rush was my new rule of thumb).

I tried but failed get the online tickets through ticket master but I decide doing this journey would be a challenge and adventure. Luckily Man U wasnโ€™t playing or this would have been impossible, because the my route was past the Temple of Mammon.

I got to the excellent NCP car park in Store St (ยฃ6.80 for 24 hours) with 30 minutes to spare and Iโ€™m by the platform with 15 mins to spares when I see a Greggs.

Who can walk past a Greggs if you havenโ€™t eaten all day (the emanating smells reminded me)

I queue for 5 mins then Iโ€™m served by a slow motion Koala Bear who is cute but takes five minutes to assemble my vegan sausage roll, vegetable bake, pizza slice and assorted sandwiches so I figure a coffee is a step to far. My diet is not going well!

I make the train by two minutes. Clearly I enjoy living on the edge.

At Birmingham New St I discover that the cheapest hotel near the centre of Birmingham is ยฃ150 a night which is at least twice what Iโ€™m willing to pay for for somewhere to sleep. How can that be? Who wants to stay in Birmingham on a Saturday night or any night?

So I book the Belmont Hotel, ยฃ65 and four miles west in Hagley but that means no time to check in and leave my bag.

Its now 6:30 and the gig is from 6:00 to 9:30 but the Red Gโ€™s wonโ€™t be on until 7:30 I figure so still plenty of time.

I get to the O2 Academy for 6:45 where I discover that the Red Gโ€™s are playing at the O2 Institute (why donโ€™t our brains ever read the second word of well known two word phrases?) but I meet there two Red G fans who look coolish so thatโ€™s a good sign, they have at least two fans who are not weird ๐Ÿ˜‚

I get to the O2 Institute by 7:05 and Iโ€™m refused entry because I have a bag bigger than A4. Who reads admission rules!?

I arrive back at New St station and Iโ€™m overjoyed to find a left luggage depot. I didnโ€™t think they still existed. Not cheap. ยฃ7.50 for three hours.

Itโ€™s now 7:30 so Iโ€™m gonna miss the beginning of Red Gโ€™s and Iโ€™m getting a bit travel worn. I need a decent beer or two and a sit down

My Camra ap tells me there is only one good pub in the entire eastern half of Birmingham city centre, the Spotted Dog and Gmaps tells me itโ€™s not far from the venue.

So I can make the Spotted D and still get to the gig for the last hour at 8:30.

Gmaps is wrong however and while the Spotted Dog is good, well worth a visit, well worth missing 30 mins of a gig, I finally make it to the venue at 8:45.

But Iโ€™m almost out of phone battery. I always carry a powerpak back-up but I had the wrong lead ๐Ÿ˜ฑ

Can you imagine seeing something really really good, perhaps the only time you may ever see this thing and you canโ€™t take even one photo, not even one minute of video? I canโ€™t, and I couldnโ€™t, so I set off back to the station to get the lead from my bag. I calculated that if I ran I could be back at the venue for the final 30 mins ๐Ÿ˜‚

On my way, a few hundred yards, I pass a small Asian convenience store that looked like it might magically have anything and it did, or at least an Apple lightning lead which pretty much is everything. How is that possible? So Iโ€™m back in the venue at 8:55, only 35 minute of music left but obviously the the best bit of the gig, and 35 minutes is my boredom threshold for doing nothing, no matter how good the entertainment, unless itโ€™s Beethovenโ€™s 9th symphony, and even then I might have to wriggle and stifle a few yawns.

The Red Guitars is an alternative rock band (skank with soul?) and not overly accessible music but it was good, and some bits where in fact awesome, so well worth the journey. If they play again, Iโ€™ll be there for longer. Perhaps an hour ๐Ÿ˜‚

Birmingham not as bad as I thought btw. Lots of interesting or beautiful buildings and spaces, and I almost like the accent. How can you not, if itโ€™s how Noddy Holder or Frank Skinner speak.” Rob Slade

Back to the beginning of the tour, here are the dress rehearsal photos: https://loudhailer.net/2022/04/16/red-guitars-tour-2022-dress-rehearsal/

Heres’s to everyone who came to the Red Guitars Slow to Fade reunion tour. We had a brilliant time. Looking forward to the next adventure โ€ฆ

A big thanks to Steve Homer at AEG Presents for inviting us to reform for this tour and coming to see us play. The AEG reps at every gig have been brilliant. We have truly had an absolute ball! We’re looking forward to what comes next …

Red Guitars at The 100 Club London 2022

A massive thank you to everyone who came to our Slow to Fade 2022 tour. It’s been a joyous adventure, and the response has been unexpectedly amazing for us. Our show at the legendary 100 Club in London’s Oxford Street was sold out and crammed with people dancing and singing along, teeming with friends old and new.

Thanks to the team at the venue and a special thanks to sound engineer Pascal who did a superb job for us, we had a great sound which made for a great atmosphere for us on stage.

So, here we are, all the original band back together for our Slow to Fade tour, Hallam Lewis, Jeremy Kidd, John Rowley, Matt Higgins and Lou Duffy-Howard, joined in 2022 by Jos Allen and Doug Swallow.

Fab set of photographs by Richard Duffy-Howard, have a look:

Thanks to Rob Telford for his great shots:

Thank you to our special guests Fragile Creatures for a terrific set to open the show they’re here sound-checking together with Rich’s other photos of the day:

Thank you to everyone who sent us lovely messages on social media and reviews hereโ€™s a few:

โ€œSo much joy in the room for @RedGuitars at the @100clubLondon last night. Uplifting to see brilliant musicians playing together again after 38 years. Slow to fade, as the song says.โ€ John Pullman

โ€œFriday evening with the fabulous Red Guitars at The 100 Club. I had waited 35 years for this tour and they did not disappoint!โ€ Rob Telford

โ€œIโ€™m at a gig – a real live gig with Red Guitars and they are rocking!โ€ Liz Treacher

โ€œWhat an extraordinary bunch of musicians @RedGuitars. I will need my jaw rewiring after watching that. Utterly joyous. I am 17 again.โ€ Steve M

โ€œYou were absolutely brilliant. Overwhelmingly so. (I NEARLY plucked up the courage to speak to you in the audience during the support but didn’t want to intrude). Thank you so much. Seeing you again 38! years after Coventry Poly meant a lot. Heartbeat Go!!โ€ PeteM.

โ€œWonderful to see Red Guitars in London last night. Absolutely loved it! I was 17 when I first saw them and I felt 17 again. Hoping to see them in 2060, if not (preferably) before!โ€ Andrew Hook

โ€œLast night was one of those โ€˜momentsโ€™. A band that clearly meant a lot to people, sonically and politically. And the lyrics are so fresh still. Shaken not Stirred, Good Technology, Sting in the Tale, chillingly spot on. Am still buzzing.โ€ Steve Morgan

โ€œWow guys what an extra special treat to see you at the 100 club last night I had the best fun, thank you best wishes to all from Davidโ€

โ€œI knew you were good. I didnโ€™t realise after 38 years away it could still be THAT good. Such an intricate sound, yet so accessible. Great onstage chemistry, too.โ€

โ€œRed Guitars on top form at The 100 Club last night. I described Brighton as brilliant, and this was better than Brighton.โ€œ Roger Millington

โ€œTwo absolutely stunning gigs – last week in Manchester and last night in London. Please don’t leave it another 38 years until your next tour… ‘cos I might be getting on a bit by then.โ€ David Gibson

โ€œAmazing night at @100clubLondon with stellar sets by @RedGuitars @FragileCreatures. Great to meet the amazing Lou @LoudhailerUK in person & what a bass guitarist she is. Lovely to see Adam & Neville again & what a great audience.โ€ Neil March

Another full house and belting show for @RedGuitars this time at the 100 Club in London.โ€ Phil Ascough

โ€œIโ€™ve waited 40 years! And I was not disappointedโ€ฆ such a brilliant show full of energy and just the best music!โ€ Tia K Iqbal

โ€œMagnificent gig in London last night.โ€ Keith Phillips

โ€œA stunning evening and nearly forty years after I first saw you live youโ€™ve just got even better. Oh and I even got to replace the t-shirt I lost many years ago.” Simon Maurice

โ€œFantastic night. Looked like the band were all having a great night too playing a superb set. Thanks.โ€ Darren Lewis

โ€œThank you for last night, I really enjoyed it. I never thought I’d get the chance to see you live. I’ve loved your music for 35 years and I still play your albums now. Thanks again.โ€ Peter Lane

โ€œIt’s not an exaggeration to say I have waited nearly forty years to see you play live. And I was not disappointed.โ€ Gary Couzens

โ€œAn iconic band playing an iconic venue, it was pure magic.โ€ Simon Higgins

“… to the unbridled joy of a packed venue, they surge into a scintillating rendition of Marimba Jive, Hallamโ€™s South African inspired guitar figures playing off against Louโ€™s sumptuous sliding fretless bassline. It takes seconds to establish that Jerry has lost nothing of the power and distinctive character in his voice and the band have lost nothing of their interlocking groove-making chemistry… ” Trust the Doc

Here’s Transistor Bassman’s video of Good Technology at The 100 Club. Keep watching for more clips of the set:

A big thanks to Steve Homer at AEG Presents for inviting us to reform for this tour. The AEG reps at every gig have been brilliant. We have truly had an absolute ball! Here’s to what comes next…

Next up have a look at the photos from our gig at Birmingham’s O2 Institute here: https://loudhailer.net/2022/05/04/red-guitars-at-birmingham-o2-institute-2022/

Read Phil Ascough’s review in The Hull Story: https://www.thehullstory.com/allarticles/red-guitars-tour-wrap

Red Guitars at Brighton Green Door Store 2022

A massive thank you to everyone who came to our Slow to Fade 2022 tour. It’s been a joyous adventure, and the response has been unexpectedly amazing for us. We had a terrific time at Brighton’s Green Door Store. Big thanks to Sweeval for a great job on the sound.

So, here we are, all the original band back together for our Slow to Fade tour, Hallam Lewis, Jeremy Kidd, John Rowley, Matt Higgins and Lou Duffy-Howard, joined in 2022 by Jos Allen and Doug Swallow.

Fab set of photographs by Richard Duffy-Howard, have a look:

Thank you to our guests Fragile Creatures for a terrific set in their home town to open the show. Fantastic to see you guys play, making it a special night.

Thank you to everyone who sent us lovely messages on social media, hereโ€™s a few:

โ€œThere was always one band I wish I had seen live but never got the chance. Tonight my wish came true and after almost 40 years, I finally saw the amazing @RedGuitars live. It was the best gig ever and there are not enough words to say how incredible the band were live.โ€ Skylla

โ€œThank you, never thought I would get the chance to see you live again and it was even better than I hoped.โ€ David Ealey

โ€œFantastic gig! I hope you enjoyed it as much as the audience seemed to.โ€ Nigel Herron

โ€œWhat an impact youโ€™ve made up and down the country – well done all!โ€ Rachel

โ€œI was 16 when I saw you steal the show from The Smiths and have had those images of you stamped in my memory ever since. So it was great to see your parents on stage last night playing that excellent set!!โ€ Steve Atkinson (๐Ÿคฃ๐Ÿคฃhaha very good Steve!)

โ€œAn evening spent with one of my oldest friends, @MrRober16070170, singing along to one of my favourite bands, with the biggest smile on my face. Thank you @RedGuitars, that was brilliant. See you at the 100 Club.โ€ Roger Millington

A big thanks to Steve Homer at AEG Presents for inviting us to reform for this tour. The AEG reps at every gig have been excellent. We have truly had an absolute ball!

Next up have a look at the photos from our gig at The 100 Club London here: https://loudhailer.net/2022/05/02/red-guitars-at-the-100-club-2022/

The RGs team after Brighton breakfast, photo by Jacquie

Red Guitars at Hull Adelphi Club 2022

Thanks to everyone who came to our full house hometown show at Hull Adelphi on our first Red Guitars tour in 38 years. We have had a fantastic time on the northern leg of the tour, it’s all been brilliant fun and a real heart warming experience. Thanks to our friends special guests Terra Fin, Steve Homer and the team at AEG. We’re excited to head south later this week.

So, here we are, all the original band back together, Hallam Lewis, Jeremy Kidd, John Rowley, Matt Higgins and Lou Duffy-Howard, joined in 2022 by Jos Allen and Doug Swallow.

Fab set of photographs by Sydpix and Richard Duffy-Howard show the fun and energy of the gig and the brilliant home town crowd.

Here’s Sydpix’ gallery from the front

Here’s Richard’s from the back

Big thanks to our special guests Terra Fin, who played an awesome set and went down a storm with our crowd. Great to see the full band with Chris on drums, that’s my son Corey there on bass, and our youngest son Dexter joined them on violin for this gig. Charismatic singer/guitarist Jonas flew over from his home in Lithuania for the tour.

Thank you to everyone who sent us lovely messages on social media, hereโ€™s a few:

โ€œYou guys absolutely smashed it, what an atmosphere.โ€ Dylan Price, Hull Adelphi Club

โ€œIโ€™ve been to hundreds of gigs over the years, but @RedGuitars at  @TheAdelphiClub tonight was one of the best. Amazing songs and musicians who seem to be loving being back on the stage playing them.โ€ Mark Powell

โ€œWow! Songs still very relevant and poignant 30+ years on. Amazing tunes. Thanks @RedGuitars @TheAdelphiClubโ€ Tiger Sue

โ€œA sold out @TheAdelphiClub with the imperious @RedGuitars Amazing gig. The love in the room was palpable.โ€ The Gold Needles

โ€œWell @RedGuitars – I hope you enjoyed that gig at Adelphi Hull as much as we did!!!! Not danced so much in ages!!! Glad Lou still plays the fretless guitar! I feel 18 again!!! Come back soon!!!โ€ Pauline Thornton

โ€œGreat gig. Top 5 @TheAdelphiClub for me.โ€ Andy Currie

โ€œSeems like all of Hull was crammed in! It was fab.โ€ Sue Leighton

โ€œIt was unbelievable. Everybody I spoke to had a fantastic time. The collective and individual performances were stunning.โ€ PA

โ€œGreat night with the Red Guitars at the New Adelphi. Stupendous set and atmosphere.โ€ Rupert Creed

โ€œAbsolutely fantastic gig. Hallam is a brilliantly inventive guitarist.โ€ Stephen Roe

โ€œTurns out the @RedGuitars are still the best band from Hull. Fantastic gig at the Adelphi tonight.โ€ Stephen Roe

โ€œGreat gig tonight by @RedGuitars at @TheAdelphiClub.Amazingly tight considering they havenโ€™t played together since Thatcher was a lad. They were properly enjoying themselves as well. Cracking stuff.โ€ Dave Lee

โ€œRed Guitars – Great gig, tremendous sound, nostalgic for us old folks, but also great music and message… when’s the new album out! Steve Morantz

Next up have a look at the photos from our gig at Brighton’s Green Door Store here: https://loudhailer.net/2022/05/03/red-guitars-at-brighton-green-door-store-2022/

Read Russ Litten’s review in The Hull Story: https://www.thehullstory.com/allarticles/red-guitars-adelphi-review