Blood Red Shoes

A shared history of defunct bands and a name borrowed from a Hollywood musical: Blood Red Shoes are Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell, an alternative rock duo from Brighton. They came together in late 2004, once Ansell's Cat on Form and Carter's Lady Muck had run their course. The name comes from a Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire film in which Rogers famously bled into her white dancing shoes during intense rehearsals. Carter has also designed the sleeve for every one of the band's releases.

Their debut single, 'Victory for the Magpie', appeared in July 2005, followed by a run of 7" singles in 2006 on independent labels. After more than 300 UK shows they signed to V2, and 2007 brought the NME New Music Tour and a slot at T in the Park. Box of Secrets arrived in April 2008. Fire Like This followed in 2010, recorded with Mike Crossey in Liverpool, and 'It's Getting Boring by the Sea' landed in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. In Time to Voices came in 2012, then a self-titled album in 2014, the year they founded their own label, Jazz Life. Get Tragic (2019), Ghosts on Tape (2022) and Stay Lonely (2026) bring the story up to date.