12 May 2025
Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with West Midlands band Red by Night to find out more…
Who is in the band, how did you meet, where are you from and how did you come up with the name?
The band is
Joseph Sheppard (16) – Lead vocals, Guitar
Theo Hubbard (17) – Backing vocals, Guitar
Ollie Morrough (16) – Drums
Emerson Harris (17) – Bass Guitar
Red by Night are a 4-piece Rock band. The band was founded in the once heavily industrialised districts of Birmingham and the Black Country, their name comes from the depiction of the area by the American Consul to Birmingham, Elihu Burritt who famously described the region as “black by day and red by night”, due to the same furnaces that clouded the sky black with smoke during daylight hours burned bright red as darkness fell.
The band was formed in the Spring of 2022 by Joseph Sheppard. Theo Hubbard joined in the spring of 2023 and instantly struck up a connection/friendship with Joseph. Ollie Morrough joined in the Spring of 2024 after their friendship developed at school, Birmingham Ormiston Academy. Emerson Harris joined in the Summer of 2024 after impressing in the band’s audition for a Bass player. The 4 members have really bonded and have developed a strong friendship. This is reflected in their commitment at rehearsals and the tight performance they put across in their shows.
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
The band’s influences include Nirvana, The Beatles, Rush, The Police, Guns N’ Roses, Eddie Van Halen, SRV, Black Sabbath, Stewart Copeland, Art Cruz, Jaco Pastorius, Joe Dart, Chris Squire, Craig Blundell, Gavin Harrison, Thundercat, Billy Joel, John Lennon and RJ Pasin.
How would you describe your sound?
Heavy Rock, Alt Rock.
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
Our latest release is CONTROLLED. Lyrically the song deals with the creeping surveillance that encroaches on everyday life but also deals with the desire to find freedom outside of a coercive and manipulative relationship… ‘I won’t be controlled, you won’t have it all to abuse it all’ is a rallying cry to find something better outside of a seemingly hopeless confinement.
What’s your local music scene like?
The local music scene is good, despite the current economic constraint most people are feeling. We have a busy year gig wise. However, we have had to hold off on a few gig offers due to the education commitments of the band members. After all, we are still at school/college 🙂
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
Firstly, we need to pass our GCSEs and A levels.
We also have a catalogue of original material that we are hoping to get recorded into an album and released. We also have a couple of music videos we need to get done.
We also need to get applications in for next year’s festival season.
It would be great to secure a couple of major support slots for some medium to large touring bands.
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Those Damn Crows would be great. Enter Shikari would also be amazing.
Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
Not really, TBH despite our young age we are pretty professional in our approach to gigs. I know that’s probably a bit boring but despite the odd broken string or dropped drum stick we are pretty sound.
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
That we are a hard rock band with some banging original material.
Upcoming live dates and performances
Friday 6th June 2025 – Albert’s Shed, Telford
Saturday 7th June 2025 – The Swan, Stourport
Friday 4th July 2025 – Asylum 2, Birmingham
Saturday 5th July 2025 – Walsall Arboretum festival
Saturday 9th August 2025 – Grumpys, Stoke-on-Trent
Friday 12th September 2025 – River Rooms, Stourbridge
Saturday 13th September 2025 – Black Country Boat Festival
You can find out more about Red by Night on their website or via Apple Music, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, TikTok or YouTube, and you can find upcoming gig information here.
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