The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus tear up London's Borderline

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus have had me hooked since the first time I saw them live in London, in 2008. Having had a rough relationship with their record label, who failed to produce on various promises, the band flew themselves to the UK and decided to remain independent “for as long as possible.”

I remember thinking, and still think to this day, that was the most impressive damn thing I had ever heard.

So when we heard that The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus were coming back to the UK it took us all of five seconds to decide we had to be there.

We were extremely lucky to catch them at London’s Borderline and from the minute that they launched into Damn Regret we knew that this was going to be a night to remember.

And that was just the first of many nostalgic gems from the 2006 album Don’t You Fake It.

Randy Winter - Guitar

What’s that? You didn’t realise that album was released nearly 10 years ago? Yeah me either. We sat down with guitarist Randy Winter before the set and he pointed it out to us.

“We’re going to be doing an anniversary tour for our debutrecord Don’t You Fake It. Next yearit will be exactly 10 years since it came out. So we’ll probably stretch out to some spots we haven’t been to, intentionally.”

And just three tracks into this set and we know why that anniversary tour will be a huge deal. In Fate’s Hand and Justify, both from Don’t You Fake It are, in a word, amazing. Those screeching guitars and aggressive drum tracks bring back the exact same attitude as when they were released.

It’s that attitude and forcefulness that made this band a driving force in the scene a decade ago and it’s what has made them legends now.

John Hartman - Drums

And with Choke from the 2011 album Am I The Enemy standing defiant in between those 2006 belters, it’s easy to see how this band managed to do so well even without a label. This track was the first of four singles to reach number 1 in the US after The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus left their record label, Virgin, in 2010.  

That’s not surprising. There’s something ultimately satisfying about screaming along the words “I hope you choke!” If you don’t believe me, ask the crowd at the Borderline that night. They did it remarkably well.

As we reached the half way point of the set vocalist Ronnie Winter grabs an acoustic guitar and everything gets a bit serious and wonderful. Cat and Mouse and Your Guardian Angel were pillars of my adolescence and it was a pleasure to hear them both played live, as beautiful as ever. When the packed in crowd chimed in to the latter with “Please don’t walk away, please tell me you’ll stay” you couldn’t hide from the spine tingles.

But they didn’t miss a beat launching back into the hardcore swirl of it all with False Pretense and You Better Pray. The former was definitely a highlight of the night, with the crowd jumping up and down and completely losing the plot as they were launched into that banging and infectious chorus.

Ronnie Winter - Vocals

The latter was a spectacular surprise. Ronnie points out on stage that You Better Pray, from the 2009 album Lonely Road, didn’t do extremely well in the UK charts “because you don’t have red necks here. But unlucky for you we ARE red necks and we’re going to play it anyway. So if you like southern rock, sing along.” Turns out we really like Southern Rock and we screamed that opening scream like we were Kid Rock, in a vest, wielding a gun and wearing cowboy boots. None of which The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus did, in case you were wondering.  

Matt Hunter - Guitar 

The set closed up, of course, with Face Down. THE song to define this band for many people because it is the prime example of hardcore sentimentality that The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus have had nailed for a decade.   

This set was everything I wanted it to be and more. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus played tracks that are iconic in this scene and they did it with all of the boldness and tenacity that you would want them too.

So tenacious in fact that more than one member of the band wore sunglasses on stage. In a basement venue. At night. It was perfect.

Unfortunately, the rest of the UK tour was cut short due to 'a family crisis'. We wish all the best to the whole band and hope that the situation has improved. If you missed out then do make sure that you get yourself to see these guys as soon as possible. You will not regret it, I promise! 

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