With all the noise about Huddersfield two-piece LewRey and their Town anthem, you might be wondering what happened to the other local band that previously had Terriers fans chanting their tune.
Two years ago RedStar had a dream: they wanted to break through in America.
But a highly anticipated deal with a major Stateside player fizzled out, leaving the band dejected and depressed.
They were down, but not out.
Now boasting a new line-up and a new name – Bravado Cartel – the five-piece is once again heading across the Atlantic to play a series of gigs in the US.
And after having been off the local scene for some time they’re ready to come back, guitars blazing, to wow their fans once more.
Lyricist and lead singer Will Bloy recalls flying out to Boston to meet Bruce Replogle, a music legend who had worked with the likes of John Lennon and Aerosmith.
But his hopes were dashed when talk didn’t become action. Nonetheless Will and bandmates Jack Manning, Karl Woolston, Timothy Whiteley and Shane Whitton made the most of their stay, playing gigs and making contacts.
Now, two years later, they’re preparing for more gigs in Massachusetts and Connecticut, plus a few more closer to home.
“We were RedStar for quite a while,” says Will, 35, who by day is a plumbing and heating engineer.
“We felt that going to the US with something sounding vaguely Communist wasn’t a good idea. So we decided on a fresh start, a new name and a new album.”
And a new sound. In the past RedStar was known for its Britpop vibe, which led to comparisons with Oasis. Bravado Cartel, on the other hand, is ‘70s rock inspired – “Bad Company with a modern twist,” says Will.
Back in 2013 RedStar added music to the poem Stay Awhile, which had been a favourite of Town fans for decades.
The song still gets sung, most recently at Canalside when the Championship play-off trophy was shown off to fans.
Adds Will: “I’m a massive Town fan. If I’m walking to a match I still hear it being played. It was heard for the best part of three seasons at the ground and has had 25,000 hits on YouTube.
“We are very much a live band and we had a large following in Huddersfield. That changed when we wanted to do festivals. We’re now thinking about ramping up the local scene again to win back that following. We’ve got to bring it to the people.”
For news of the band’s local gigs go to https:// www.bravadocartel.co.uk/
