Blood Red Shoes

Brighton, England's Blood Red Shoes feature Laura-Mary Carter (vocals/guitar) and Steven Ansell (drums/vocals), two enthusiastic punk-inspired brawlers who channel the clamor of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Duke Spirit, and Huggy Bear. Ansell, who performed with Cat on Form, and Carter, a former member of Lady Muck, came together in late 2004 upon the demise of their previous bands. With one song in tow, the angsty duo landed a gig and Blood Red Shoes were born; the name is reminiscent of Ginger Rogers, who allegedly had to redo a tap dance scene so many times that her white dancing shoes ended up covered in blood.

By mid-2005, Blood Red Shoes readied the release of their debut 7" EP for the London indie imprint Jonson Family. With BBC Radio 1 and XFM championing songs such as the shouty "Victory for the Magpie" and "Don't Always Say Yes," the EP sold out in just weeks. Follow-up singles ADHD and Stitch Me Back arrived on Try Harder in early 2006. Another trio of singles, It's Getting Boring by the Sea, I'll Be Your Eyes, and I Wish I Was Someone Better, followed in 2007.

By 2008, Carter and Ansell were finally ready to release their debut album, and Box of Secrets, which was produced by Mike Crossey (Razorlight, Arctic Monkeys), appeared that April to generally strong reviews. The duo re-teamed with Crossey for 2010's Fire Like This, which found Blood Red Shoes adopting a more stripped-down sound, and worked with the producer again two years later on In Time to Voices, a more expansive effort that embraced grunge, Americana, and shoegaze influences. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, Rovi