From Indie to Punk: The Electrifying Journey of Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes – Roundhouse Gig Review

February 19, 2024 rocknews

We love the Roundhouse. Just walking in to the space gives you goosebumps. It’s a beautiful venue with a special atmosphere.

Tonight, it played host to a triple bill of alternative music, and what a great night it was.

HotWax

HotWax kicked things off early – only 20 minutes after doors – but there was a decent sized crowd to greet the Hastings trio. Tallulah Sim-Savage, bassist Lola Sam and drummer Alfie Sayers ripped through a seven-song set taken from their two 2023 EPs, ‘A Thousand Times’ and ‘Invite Me, Kindly’. HotWax have a great sound, reminiscent of Hole and other indie-rock bands from the ‘90s, and held together by great musicianship. They are creating quite a stir, helped by a string of festival appearances last Summer and an opening slot for Royal Blood. Back in 2022, John Robb (Louder than War) said that they were “ripping up the template and stages with a thrilling deconstruction of their grunge roots into a post-punk landscape.”^.High praise indeed, and we couldn’t agree more!

The Mysterines

Next up were Liverpool rockers The Mysterines. This is another band that are going places, helped by their 2021 signing to Fiction Records after a couple of EP’s released on their own label. Their 2022 album, ‘Reeling’ made up almost half of their seven-song set, with ‘Dangerous’, ‘All These Things’ and ‘Hung Up’ scattered amongst earlier tunes. Lia Metcalfe has strong stage presence, and she was complimented by some interesting guitar playing from Callum Thompson, who occasionally used a violin bow on his Gibson SG – a move reminiscent of Jimmy Page. The Mysterines certainly got the crowd going with their set, and evidently had some confirmed fans in the audience.

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Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes

Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes certainly have a diverse following. We spotted punks with mohawks, metal heads in Metallica T-shirts, multi-generational families and everyone inbetween, and the Roundhouse – although not quite at capacity – had by now filled out nicely for the first of two nights from this exciting band.

The Rattlesnakes appeared on stage first to an ambient soundtrack of stormy weather. Drummer Gareth Grover and bassist “Tank” Barclay were positioned on a riser at the back of the stage while guitarists / keyboard players Elliot Russell and “Deano” Richardson took up position towards the front. Carter then appeared in a haze of smoke, dressed in an oversized white suit and to a huge wave of appreciation from the crowd. They went straight into ‘Can I Take You Home’ from this years ‘Dark Rainbow’ album. Two more new tracks followed: ‘Brambles’ and ‘Self Love’, completing “Act I – Cloudy and Pink”. The new material was going down great, but it was the opening bass line to 2015’s ‘Devil Inside Me’ that really got the Roundhouse jumping. Before we knew it, a circle pit had formed, the crowd were moshing and eventually bouncing as one as the chorus took hold.

“Act II – Like Lightening”, “Act III – Redemption Arc” and “Epilogue” drew on all of The Rattlesnakes’ releases and made up an epic 21 song set that didn’t let up in terms of energy and commitment, both from the band and the audience. Carter even went for a little walk on the crowd, conducting them in a giant singalong and bringing his own take on crowd-surfing.

Carter is known for fostering a safe, respectful environment for his audience, and tonight he made sure that his female fans had their own mosh pit, insisting that “if you’re a guy, take a step back”. He even stopped ‘Kitty Sucker’ after a few bars to reprimand the few that weren’t.

The “Epilogue” of ‘Angel Wings’, ‘I Hate You’ and ‘Man of the Hour’ brought the gig to a close. The latter staring with soft keyboards and building to a fitting crescendo.

The band’s musical style has been described as everything from indie to punk, but it’s not as simple as that. Carter has a style all of his own, and the songs he writes are impossible to pigeonhole into one category. They are just really, really good at what they do, and the energy they exude from the stage makes them one of the most captivating live acts we’ve seen.

Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes play across Europe during February before touring Australia, the USA and Canada. We’re looking forward to catching them at Hellfest in June.