Red Rum Club's crowning moment is on the horizon, but the band can't quite believe it is happening.
In April, the indie group will play Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena. It is the stand out from their busy schedule of 2024 gigs, as they tour their fourth studio album around the United Kingdom and America.
The arena gig looms large for the six-piece band, who hail from across Sefton. When asked about taking to the stage, drummer Neil Lawson and lead singer Fran Doran joke modestly that someone has made a mistake in booking them.
READ MORE: Try the Liverpool Echo Premium app and get the first month free
Neil told the ECHO: "It still doesn't feel real to be honest, it still feels like a bit of a joke. It's like we're going to get there and they'll say 'did you think that you were actually playing the arena?"
"I feel like there will be another room in the arena that we don't know about", Fran joked. "They'll say 'no you're playing the conference centre'. We'll find out we're in meeting room four."
In fact, Red Rum Club are not restricted to the conference centre or a meeting room. They will be on the arena's main stage and the 11,000 capacity venue is approaching a sell out.
Fran said: "We remember the arena being built, it was like a spaceship. We'd never had an arena and now it lurks at the edge of the Mersey.
"You see it every time you go into town. We've been to see countless bands there that you look up to and you wonder 'how have they got there, how do they do that?'.
"And then when it was first touted to us that we were going to do it, that was just unbelievable. You can't really comprehend it. It took a few weeks to really think about it and process it. It's getting closer now, it's getting scary."
Previous albums 'Matador', 'The Hollow of Humdrum' and 'How To Steal The World' have seen the band win plaudits for their witty lyrics, funky bass lines and trumpet riffs, giving them a burgeoning reputation in the indie and alternative worlds. Playing at the M&S Bank Arena will be a landmark moment on the band's journey.
The arena gig will follow the release of the band's fourth studio album 'Western Approaches'. It will be released on February 23, which the band will mark with two album performances at the Cains Brewery Village in the Baltic Triangle.
Taking its name from Liverpool city centre's WWII command centre, which is now a museum, the album was recorded in the band's Bootle base – an old pub converted into studios. Fran explained that Bootle – and its seafaring, industrial heritage – plays a big role in the record's sound.
"I don't want to say it's different to what we've done, but it's a progression", he said. "I think the album has a bit more of a story.
"We've always had themes throughout our albums, but this has come from a geographical change. We moved out of the city to the Bootle docklands, we're in a warehouse.
"Grit is probably the word to describe it. It is grittier. There's a scrapyard nearby, the docks are about 50m away, there are loads of car garages, so the album does reflect the surroundings."
Neil said: "We've tapped into that scrapyard. About midday, they have an half an hour when they crush the cars. That must have got into our psyche somehow and I think it is a little bit more gritty."
Not only does the album promise some grit, Fran said that he has tried to bring Merseyside's history as a port and the band's experience of touring together to use the Merseyside's docklands thematically as well as sonically.
He explained: "There are a few songs, especially Jigsaw, where we've tapped into something – being so close to the water and the album being called Western Approaches, with that being the war bunker. We have our story as a band going to and from America – I think we reflect that geographically.
"We're here in the studio, looking out at the water and beyond the water is America, where we've become used to going twice a year.
"For the people that know us, when they listen to the album, I'd like them to realise which place we're in. It's called Western Approaches because of that and the songs reflect that.
"There are moments on this album which don't sound like songs from a Liverpool band. But I think it just naturally happens because we're so ingrained in the history of things and where we walk around.
"This place we're in used to be a pub called The Norsemen, where all the sailors would come. Apparently the pub took every currency over the bar from the sailors and would make up the exchange rate.
"That's close to the theme of the album – of people coming and going but Liverpool being the hub, seeing a lot of transient movement. That's our life at the moment, because we tour the UK twice a year, we go to festivals, we go to America twice a year. We're all sailors basically."
Looking to the future, the arena gig dominates the band's thoughts. Both Fran and Neil say they cannot really look further, taking things one step at a time.
"I've looked through the festivals which we're going to play this year – which we can't announce yet because they haven't been announced yet – but that will be the next thing", said Neil.
"We never really get too far ahead of ourselves. Arena first, look towards summer and see what happens next."
For Fran, he hopes the arena gig and the new album can keep the band on an upwards trajectory.
He explained: "Up until now, I think every album has been about 'just get us another year of touring'. It's like we've been in a rush and not wanted it to end.
"We made sure the album was good so we could go on tour again and maybe play some songs. Now it feels a bit more that 'it's ok, there will be another album and there will be another tour'.
"We've got ourselves to that level, which means we think we can be a bit artsy, get involved in initiatives and make a difference. As far as the album is concerned, I think we just want it to elevate us again, maybe put higher on festival posters, gain us more fans.
"We'd love a big single, we'd love a radio single that everyone knows, but that's really hard and out of your control.
"We've learned over the years that the only things we can control are making it good, getting it out, make a good piece of art. We hope people like it and then go and tour it and play it well live."
He added: "We can dream. We can dream of getting a number one."
Red Rum Club spoke to the ECHO as they became venue ambassadors for Salt & Tar, Bootle's 3,000 capacity outdoor arena.
There are many ways to keep up with news in Liverpool and our website is just one. Below you can find details about our premium app with a smooth interface, and no adverts. You will also find links to our breaking whatsapp community, Facebook page, our in-depth Daily Post newsletter.
Try Liverpool Echo Premium for 99p with no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features
Don’t miss the biggest and breaking news by joining our dedicated WhatsApp community. R
The Liverpool Daily Post newsletter delves into the biggest stories on Merseyside