Interviews: RedRedRed

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Heavy Rock band, RedRedRed, from France. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it or came out like that?

As weird as it may sound, we didn’t really overthink it; it just came naturally. At first, we were going with RedRed. We liked the idea of insisting on the color red and everything it can mean. It also had a sound that reminded us of things like redrum. Then one day at rehearsal, we were still talking about it, and our drummer at the time, Stef, suggested adding a third Red. We went with it; there’s something kind of hypnotic or mantra-like about the repetition.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

RedRedRed basically started from something simple: playing the kind of music we actually wanted to play.

You have to understand that for me, Enguerran, bassist and founder of the band, I often had chances to play in other projects — when you’re a bass player, there’s always work. I played in punk rock, death, and post-rock bands, and at some point, instead of waiting for a band that would play the style I really wanted, I just wrote three songs: Blood Red Stones, Mermaid, and Gemini Sister’s Bride (all of them are on our 2018 demo).

I sent them to Thomas, a friend I used to play death metal with, to see if he thought it was interesting and if he’d be into starting a band in that style, something we both love, since we were listening a lot to bands like Clutch, Down, Orange Goblin, Mastodon, and so on.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Yes, I knew Thomas, our first guitarist. We immediately started looking for a singer, and he had already played with Fred, our vocalist, so he called him. We had a drink, shared a meal, and he was in.

On my side, I called the drummer I used to play with in Naked, an instrumental post-rock band from Poitiers, to ask if he wanted to join us. That’s how we started back in 2013.

We changed drummers pretty quickly because Stef wanted to focus on other things, and we found Samir through an ad. Samir didn’t stay long, and when we started looking for our third drummer, Fred called a friend of his, Jonathan.

Thomas left the band in 2020, and we replaced him with François, also through an ad. Then we had to part ways with Jonathan and ended up finding Romain thanks to a handwritten note posted on a piece of paper at a festival near Poitiers.

So, yes and no :) But it’s cool, it gave us the chance to meet new people who ended up becoming friends.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

That’s a tough one, we’re into a lot of different stuff, from black metal to 60s prog, with some cold wave and jazz in between. There are bands we all agree on and have already mentioned a few times.

But if we had to name just one for each member:

Fred: Tom Waits

Enguerran: Envy

François: Tool

Romain: Deftones

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

I think the first ideas for a song usually come from everyday life, from a state of mind, or a situation that makes you feel like playing a certain kind of riff. And that can mean a lot of things.

For example, Floods Above Me, the track we just released and that will be on our next album, shows that pretty well. You can start with something fast, energetic, with little harmony, and then move into a calm section with more bluesy chords.

The lyrics follow those intentions, trying to give them a broader and sometimes more mystical meaning.

6. Where was your last gig?

Poitiers, our hometown, a couple of weeks ago.

7. Where would you like to act?

A human-sized festival with a proper desert rock or stoner stage, probably in summer. Something like Motocultor in France or Rock the Lakes in Switzerland would be perfect.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

We surely go to more shows than we actually play ourselves, so we’re good audience people: we just really love listening to music before making it, I guess. Which means the list of bands we’d love to play with is pretty long.

If we had to name just five, and if we can dream a little:

Mutoid Man, because their music is amazing and they look like they’re having such a great time on stage, it would be so cool to play with them.

More recently, I saw Green Lung, and that show just blew me away.

Monster Magnet, Clutch, Orange Goblin, because, well, you know.

9. Whom not?

A lot of new bands where I just don’t get what they’re going for. For example, I really appreciate seeing a French band like Landmvrks getting big on the international scene, but honestly, I don’t get the point of their music.

And obviously, Metallica.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

I’m not sure we’re in a position to give real advice, since we don’t play that many shows. It’s definitely easier now than it was ten years ago. It’s not really about getting used to it; it’s more that over time, those situations just start to feel less awkward.

Only recently did I start thinking that playing live, in a band, in front of people, could actually be enjoyable: sharing our music with people who seem to like it, and doing it together with bandmates you trust. All in all, it’s just fun.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

When it comes to music, I think we’re always kind of stuck between two sides: wanting to make things more straightforward, but also adding stuff that’s a bit more complex or unexpected, the little things that give it flavor.

So I’d still go with Clutch, Orange Goblin, Down, and Alice in Chains, all mixed with touches from bands that don’t really have much in common with that, like Devin Townsend, Porcupine Tree, Vola, Converge, and so on.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

If we ever have fans someday, I’ll be able to answer that :)

13. What do you think of your fans?

Actually, to be honest, we were told we might have one or two. But we’ve never met them.

14. What do you think of our site?

It’s cool to see a site that brings so many styles together. I also really like the list of bands by country. It helps open your mind to what’s happening elsewhere, instead of just staying stuck in the usual promo circuits, where an Ethiopian band, for example, would have almost no visibility in France, and the same old Spotify suggestions on repeat.

It’s cool!

15. Something to add?

Our goal with releasing our songs (the album is planned for March 2026) was to share our music beyond our local circle of friends, thinking that maybe some other people might enjoy it too. That was already a big step for us, since our thing has always been to just write, rehearse, and make our music in our own corner, without really thinking about where it might lead.

We’re really happy to see that over the past few weeks, new people have been taking the time to listen to what we do. We’re already working on what’s next, with new songs coming.

Anyway, thanks a lot for giving us the chance to tell our story!