It’s Only A Podcast – Episode 15

It’s Only A Podcast – Episode 15

Full steam ahead they said as the good ship RPM Online Podcast sails into treasure-filled waters. This Episode is positively overflowing with new tracks as well as an exclusive Live cover from Ravagers that will never be on streaming services or CD and is limited to 100 copies of White Vinyl. Spaghetty Town Records have kindly let us play the Ravager’s cover of ‘Goin Downtown’ by the Lords Of The New Church. That’s only one of the reasons why you should check the Podcast out.

Sweden’s First Boy On The Moon Kick off this Episode with the opening track of their new album ‘Dreamer’. Hot on the heels comes a new track off the Final Cock Sparrer Album ‘Hand On Heart’ out on April 5th. ‘I Belong To You’ is classic Sparrer and an album that sees the band get better and better.

Now co-host Hotshot likes nothing more than fantasising about Sex Pistol and Radio broadcasting inspiration and role model Steve Jones so we’ve dug deep for a sparkling live rendition of his classic ‘Silly Thing’.

Gareth ‘Hotshot’ Hooper

Hotshot wanted to change the mood by introducing a track from Garbage who penciled in a re-release of the album ‘Bleed Like Me’ with his favourite track off the album. How about Japan’s finest glam punks Angel Face with a brand new track off their Slovenly Records self-titled album. A new track from Bullets And Octane, and Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard before Hotshot plays Suede with a track off their latest album ‘Autofiction’.

Ravagers are a glam punk n roll band outta The USA and they have a brand new LP released through Spaghetty Town Records as pointed out in the intro above. 100 copies pressed no streaming and no downloading. This will be a must-own record and rare as rocking horse shit. We’ve got an exclusive don’t miss it.

Desperate Measures have been playing support to Cheetah Chromes Dead Boys around the UK and currently in Europe and getting great reviews so having heard the new Desperate Measures album it’s only fair we play ‘Sublime Destruction’ the title track of their soon-to-be-released Cadiz records album. Staying with Cheetahs how about a new track off The Streetwalkin Cheetahs and a wonderful track ‘Call The Dogs’ being released on Poland’s awesome Heavy Medication Records. While we’re playing the label’s newest releases we also have one from Jonesy the potty-mouthed Canadians 10″ release on HMR but not before Californians Crymwav pop by with ‘Mars Fever’ and Mala Vista get aired with a single off their soon to be released album coming out on Spaghetty Town and Beluga Records in Europe.

Marc Valentine is set to release his second album on Wicked Cool Records in the next few months, so, no time like the present to play a track off it, and having had the privilege to hear the album I can tell you it was tough which one to play seeing as the whole record is fantastic power popping Rock n Roll. Gareth drops in one of his favourite songs from Powerkeg before a fine track from The Mysterines who we reviewed recently when they played support on the Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes tour of the UK.

If you’re still with us then stick around for a banger from The Empty Page who announced this week that they have a new album coming out on their own label if this is anything to go by it promises to be excellent and the first Empty Page track we’ll be playing. With just a couple of tracks to play Sweet Tooth blast away any fatigue with their banger ‘So Gone’ from their epic Lövely Records release ‘Split Image’. This leaves River City Rebels to wipe the floor with us as they blow the fuckin doors off the show with ‘Unless Your White’ out on Screaming Crow Records.

That boys and girls is one hell of a playlist from top to bottom we doubt you’ll hear a running order with as much quality as that. Keep it RPM Online Podcast – It’s A Revolution!

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – NEW ALBUM ‘STICKY’

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – NEW ALBUM ‘STICKY’

ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM

‘STICKY’

 

 TO BE RELEASED ON OCTOBER 15TH

NOW AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE HERE 

FEATURING THE NEW SINGLE AND TITLE TRACK

 

Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes’ opening night headline set at Download Pilot unleashed a ferocious release of pent-up energy and pure emotion that will live long in the memory of everyone present.  The band proved that they offer something quite unlike anyone else right now: a much needed burst of anarchic spirit as the shackles are removed, but also the articulation and wry wit to rally against injustice; plus a raw, eviscerating live show without the tropes of toxic masculinity. As lockdown eases, who better to soundtrack our new-found freedom?

Seizing on their moment in the spotlight, Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes share their new single ‘Sticky’, which has just received its first play courtesy of Daniel P Carter at Radio 1. The single launches their eagerly anticipated new album, also titled ‘Sticky’, which will be released on October 15th. It builds on the momentum generated by their recent single, ‘My Town’ featuring Joe Talbot of IDLES, which is the biggest of their career to date and was B-listed at Radio 1.

Punching out of the speakers with a new directness and immediacy, the single ‘Sticky’ provides a flavour of what to expect from the album. It’s a shark-sharp-shock of visceral punk fury, as the snarling soul of Carter’s vehement voice transports us to the sweltering, closing time madness of a city after dark. He paints a scene of growing paranoia, desperately looking to delve into any vice to counteract the existential despair of feeling “midnight blue.” But there’s a sardonic, horrorshow humour at play too as he spits, “I’m no vampire but I want your blood.”

Carter commented, “‘Sticky’ is about that moment where you’re drunk at a bus stop at 3AM. You know there are no more buses, but you sit there anyway because you’re too fucked to figure out your options. Your kebab is on the floor, there’s a Stella in your pocket, and you’re woken up by a dirty little fox eating your shoes.”

It’s the perfect introduction to a record that breaks out of lockdown.  Produced by guitarist Dean Richardson for the first time, it solidifies the pair as one of the most exciting partnerships in British punk rock. Carter sounds like an untamed force of nature, embodying the impish menace of Keith Flint one minute and Sid Vicious the next.  Alongside Richardson, they’ve crafted a record which wastes no time in hitting hard: not a single song hits the four-minute barrier, and few even hit three.

‘Sticky’ is the sonic eruption of a year-plus of suppressed energy. While it’s an escapist experience, recent reality is never too far away. It’s there in ‘Go Get A Tattoo’, which was inspired by Carter’s experience of having to shut his first London based tattoo parlour, Rose of Mercy, almost immediately after it opened.  It’s just as present in ‘My Town’, a suburban vignette of society’s collective mental health quickly unravelling.

Carter and Richardson’s vision is augmented by the mob of underdogs and outsiders who join them.  As well as Joe Talbot, queer, underground electro-punk sensation Lynks complements Carter’s attack with a double-dose of surreal savagery on ‘Bang Bang’ and ‘Get A Tattoo’, while Cassyette brings a provocative punch to the sleazy rock ‘n’ roll of ‘Off With His Head’.  By the time Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie emerges on the closing ‘Original Sin’, his breathy voice feels like salvation for the transgressions that preceded it.

Carter sums it up succinctly: “Someone described it to me as ‘they felt their youth’ when they were listening to the record. When you make albums, those are the ones you want to make. Nostalgic, but classic. Timeless, and also modern.”

The album is now available to pre-order on a range of exclusive formats here. All pre-orders are rewarded with instant download of the title track and ‘My Town’.

Having closed their 2020 tour ‘The End of Suffering’ with a sold-out 10,000 capacity show at London’s cavernous Alexandra Palace, Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes announce details of their first tour in support of ‘Sticky’. They will follow an extensive run of UK dates in November with two O2 Academy Brixton shows in January 2022, and then a European tour which spans thirteen countries.

Tickets: Fans who pre-order the album from the band’s official store will receive early access to tickets from Wednesday 14th July @ 10 am local time. General on-sale is Friday 10 am local time.

TOUR DATES:

SEPTEMBER 2021

9th – Glasgow Green (special guests to Biffy Clyro)

16th – Cardiff Bay (special guests to Biffy Clyro)

OCTOBER 2021

16th – Live At Leeds (HEADLINERS) 

NOVEMBER 2021

10th – Dublin, Academy

11th – Nottingham, Rock City

13th – Norwich, UEA

15th – Southampton, Guildhall

16th – Bristol, O2 Academy

17th – Lincoln, Engine Shed

19th – Birmingham, O2 Academy

20th – Newcastle, O2 Academy

22nd – Glasgow, Barrowland

23rd – Edinburgh, Corn Exchange

24th – Liverpool, O2 Academy

25th – Manchester, Academy

JANUARY 2022

21st – London, O2 Academy Brixton

22nd – London, O2 Academy Brixton

25th – Netherlands, Utrecht, Tivoli Vredenburg

26th – Germany, Cologne, Live Music Hall

28th – Sweden, Stockholm, Slaktkyrkan

29th – Norway, Oslo, Rockefeller Music Hall

30th – Denmark, Copenhagen, Store Vega

FEBRUARY 2022

1st – Germany, Berlin, Astra

2nd – Czech Republic, Prague, Meet Factory

3rd – Poland, Warsaw, Niebo

5th – Switzerland, Zurich, Dynamo Saal

6th – Italy, Milan, Magazzini Generali

8th – Spain, Barcelona, Razzmatazz 2

10th – Portugal, Lisbon, Lav – Lisboa Ao Vivo

11th – Spain, Santiago de Compostela, Sala Capitol

12th – Spain, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Jimmy Jazz

14th – France, Paris, La Cigale

15th – Belgium, Brussels, La Madeleine

17th – Germany, Hamburg, Markthalle

18th – Germany, Munich, Backstage Werk

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Official site

Spotify

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Twitter

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club – 5th May 2019

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club – 5th May 2019

There seems to be a growing trend of bands offering album/ticket bundles right now and I’m all for it. As part of the promotion for new album ‘End Of Suffering’, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes announced a run of intimate, low key shows at record stores and small venues.

Billed as an album release show, the only way to gain entry to either of this evening’s 2 shows (an earlier acoustic set and a later full band electric set) was to buy an album/ticket bundle from Crash Records in Leeds. £24.99 for a splatter vinyl and a ticket to see one of the hottest live acts in the country play at my favourite venue? I only had 3 words…take my money!!

“I’ve been waiting 15 fuckin’ years to play this room…don’t let me down!” says a bare-chested and sweating Frank Carter before launching himself into the baying crowd during ‘Lullaby’…or was it ‘Juggernaut’? I don’t remember, as you see a Frank Carter show is chaos, fucking chaos! I knew this, I’ve seen him a few times now, that’s why I’m standing on the steps to get a good view, far away from the rabid crowd, who want a piece of this enigmatic frontman. A man who causes manic young men and women to lose their shit for the majority of a high energy hour or so show.

It started way more chilled than I expected, especially as the last time I saw them (earlier this year at Fibbers in York) it was the excellent  ‘Crowbar’ that got things off to a frantic start. The acoustic, uncredited final track on the vinyl version of ‘End Of Suffering’ lends itself well as an intro tape before the band open with ‘Why A Spider Can’t Love A Butterfly’. The atmosphere is electric as the song builds and builds to a crescendo, Frank seemingly relishing the chance to get emotional from the off.

It’s not until the following ‘Tyrant Lizard King’ that the chaos begins. The crowd are off and bouncing as one unit, already singing the words to a seemingly new crowd favourite. An old crowd favourite follows. ‘Vampires’ makes the crowd truly react as the frontman desires, a smile across his face as the darkened room becomes an animated sea of flailing arms and legs.

For the next 50 minutes or so the onstage roadie earns his crust pulling crowd surfers from the crest of a human wave and guiding them stage left. If anyone outstays their welcome, Frank grabs them by the shirt and throws them back into the chaos, with a smile.

In this claustrophobic club environment, this band truly thrives. A young blonde haired lass makes it to the stage maybe five or six times, she’s all over the frontman, much to his amusement. Elsewhere a scrawny Frank doppelganger, with dodgy tattoos and an even dodgier mustache, is having the time of his life, on his back sailing a sea of hands.

The new songs fit the set well. The regimental ‘Heartbreaker’ has the crowd fist-pumping, as guitarist Dean Richardson thrashes the riff out on his battered Telecaster. ‘Kitty Sucker’ was always going to be a highlight, and while the beautiful ‘Angel Wings’ and crowd favourite ‘Anxiety’ offers a respite from the high energy show, the intensity of ‘Devil Inside Of Me’ was always going to get the crowd going again. And if anyone was still needing more, if there was just one person who felt they didn’t get their money’s worth yet, we get ‘Crowbar’, not just once…but twice in succession.

Those who are now spent gather themselves together with just enough strength to sing the band’s ultimate hate anthem ‘I Hate You’.

It’s no fluke that Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes will play third down on the main stage below Foo Fighters at Reading/Leeds festival this year. They are one of the most exciting live bands in the country right now, with a fierce reputation. They also happen to have recorded one of the best albums of the year in my humble opinion.

The band stay true to their beliefs, they sweat and bleed to deliver for their growing fanbase night after night, and I sure hope they continue to play these intimate club shows. Tonight’s show was a one off experience. Heavy, hot and totally exciting from beginning to end… everything you desire from a live rock band and more. If you missed it, then you missed out.

 

Buy End Of Suffering Here

Author: Ben Hughes

Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes-Swansea Sin City 13.02.19

Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes-Swansea Sin City 13.02.19

Frank Carter on a school nite in Swansea, let’s have a bit of that. I’ll be upfront, I really wasn’t sure what to expect, knowing what Gallows were like live I was a little bit unsure how or even what the setlist would be like, how far Frank would delve back into what’s let’s be honest is a rather blinding back catalogue. Truth be told the set that followed was put together from equal parts Blossom, Modern ruin and the soon to be released End of suffering, I suppose as Frank has battled through some demons, hinted at tonight he has grown and developed his songwriting, used the experiences and the three albums mentioned as a Cathartic experience and is now much more settled, while retaining that bit of an edge that holds the older fans interests.

 

But let’s not forget there was another band on first the rather splendid Black Futures, I suppose not having heard anything prior can sometimes be a hindrance or conversely leave you with a blank slate no preconceptions, in this case, it definitely opened my mind up to what the guys were presenting. With the two dancer’s, One either side in has-mat suits and shades and the industrial noise and intense strobe lighting between them I have to admit they perked up my interest straight away, at times veering /careering through KMFDM, NIN, Skinny Puppy influences what you ended up with was a great post-punk Industrial noise hitting you full on, slightly anarchic, all over the place, lots of ideas that can only develop over time, very much like another new band out there Sleep Token, be great to see them out as a doubleheader (If any promoters brave enough!!) they are definitely a band that I’ll check out again.

 

With an early doors finish tonight after a very short break we’re in to the main event, what was great was the feeling of being at an old school gig, the whole crowd up for it, singing/hanging on every word, the mosh pits grew and grew, the crowd surfing increased and just about everyone was up for a good time. Opening up with Crowbar was a no-brainer, but I’m not quite sure why it put in another appearance later in the set, the tracks from Modern Ruin I have to be honest stood out for me, I’m still singing Lullaby almost 3 days later, in fact looking back there wasn’t a track that you could say didn’t hit the mark the band were relentless, but at the same time the End of Suffering tracks seem to be moving in a different direction, more restrained, less angst, but pointing towards a crossover, not into the mainstream, but crossing genres picking up new fans along the way. On the strength of this performance, you can see some big festival appearances high up the bill later this year. Case in point “Heartbreaker”, with a female only stage diving section and the highlighting of the fact that women should be allowed to stage dive without the fear of being groped, something that seems to have permeated the psyche of a certain type of gig going pervert, thankfully very much in the minority. The shout out to mental health issues within “Anxiety” again pushed a strong message out there and as mentioned I think showing a band and front-man growing more confident allowing their natural voice to come through. Standouts tonight for me Lullaby, Trouble, Acid Veins and a rather blinding Devil inside me, finishing off with the crowd led “I hate you”!! I suppose the thing I took from tonight was how far Frank has moved things forward from the Gallows days, this band and this music is going in a new direction, shedding its skin so to speak, coming through more colourful and vibrant, but losing a bit of that old school attitude/comfort. There’s a balancing act going on and one that’s being managed well, new fans and old coming together and providing a defiantly old school arena to perform within “Long live the new flesh”.

author: Nev Brooks Pics : Johnny Hayward

FRANK CARTER AND THE RATTLESNAKES tour and new album details

FRANK CARTER AND THE RATTLESNAKES tour and new album details
NEW LP “END OF SUFFERING” RELEASED MAY 3RD ON INTERNATIONAL DEATH CULT Pre Order link 
also, Frank, has a pre-order link available for people pre-ordering the new album (details here)
They say the third time’s the charm, and, after the breathtaking, ruthlessly efficient one-two punch of “Blossom” and “Modern Ruin”, here we are – at Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes’ album number three – at once a stadium sized declaration of intent and a deeply personal cri-de-coeur called “End of Suffering”.
Recorded in just six months over the heatwave that engulfed London last year, End Of Suffering – named after the Buddhist term for enlightenment- is the sound of a band entering an entirely new realm of the senses, a forty minute rock’n’rollercoaster of molten-hot bangers, scorched-soul ballads and grunge lullabies laced through with a lacerating lyrical honesty.
With Cam Blackwood (George Ezra / Jack Savoretti) at the helm and legendary mixer Alan Moulder (Nine Inch Nails / Queens Of The Stone Age) sprinkling sonic stardust, the resultant album sees Carter, co-songwriter Dean Richardson and co not so much spreading their wings as running and leaping headfirst into heretofore uncharted waters. Opener ‘Why A Butterfly Can’t Love A Spider’ finds Frank at full stretch, singing: “When I’m high I’m in heaven/When I’m low I’m in hell”, while the first single “Crowbar” is tauter than a highwire and relentlessly sharpened to a razor’s edge, a sonic Molotov cocktail of a track delivered with the anarchic zeal of the gilets-Jaunes rioters. “I saw an amazing bit of graffiti during the Paris riots which said: ‘We’ve cut off heads for less than this’” enthuses Frank. “I loved that attitude. People are sick of being force-fed doom and gloom.” It also comes complete with a video directed by long-time collaborator Ross Cairns (who has also directed videos for Biffy Clyro and QOTSA) and acts as a blistering clarion call to arms. 
When the fury is dialed down, however, even more, startling shades start to surface. ‘Anxiety’ is a paranoic festival anthem in waiting, while ‘Love Games’ is an absolute beauty; a distortion-heavy nod to Amy Winehouse’s finest moment destined to soundtrack the summer.   ‘Angel Wings’, meanwhile, is as bleakly poetic as Charles Bukowski. A howl of existential despair involving vodka and Vicodin induced visions of  ‘feathers made of diamond rings/dragons made of oxygen’ it’s worthy of those other harrowingly honest third albums, The Manic Street Preachers’ Holy Bible & Nirvana’s In Utero (both band favourites).
The album also features Tom Morello as a guest guitarist on ‘Tyrant Lizard King’. The two re-connected after many years at Resurrection Festival in Spain last summer, where Frank infamously sang Rage classic ‘Killing In The Name’ to a 40,000 strong crowd, finishing the track with a stage dive worthy of the rock’n’roll hall of fame. 
Indeed. In an age of say-nothing pop and codified corporate rock, End Of Suffering does what all great music should- lift the spirits and stir the soul. 
In the lead up to album release, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes will play intimate shows across the UK and Europe, bringing their trademark intensity and raucous stage presence to tiny venues and giving a first glimpse of End Of Suffering in a live setting. Tickets to these very intimate gigs will be available to fans early via an exclusive pre-sale on the website, head here.
End Of Suffering will be released on several exclusive, limited edition formats,  full info on the band’s website here.
LIVE DATES
Thursday, February 7 – The Bullingdon, Oxford
Friday, February 8 – Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Saturday, February 9 – Dreamland (Ballroom), Margate  
Monday, February 11 – The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth
Tuesday, February 12 – The Fleece, Bristol
Wednesday, February 13 – Sin City, Swansea   
Friday, February 15 – The Sugarmill, Stoke
Saturday, February 16 – Empire, Coventry
Monday, February 18 – Peddler, Sheffield
Tuesday, February 19 – Arts Club Theatre, Liverpool  
Thursday, February 21 – Think Tank, Newcastle
Friday, February 22 – Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh
Saturday, February 23 – Fibbers, York
Friday, March 15 – M4M Festival, Zurich – Switzerland
Saturday, March 16 – Z-Bau, Nuremberg – Germany
Monday, March 18 – Rockhal, Esch-sur-Alzette – Luxembourg
Tuesday, March 19 – La Poudriere, Belfort – France
Wednesday, March 20 – Les Docks, Lausanne – Switzerland  
Friday, March 22 – La Cooperative de Mai, Clermont Ferrand – France
Saturday, March 23 – Rockstore, Montpellier – France
Monday, March 25 – Santeria Club, Milan – Italy
Tuesday, March 26 – Locomotive Club, Bologna – Italy  
Thursday, March 28 –  Culture Factory, Zagreb – Croatia
Friday, March 29 – Simm City, Vienna – Austria
Saturday, March 30 – Akvarium Klub, Budapest – Hungary
Monday, April 1 – Hydrozagadka, Warsaw – Poland
Wednesday, April 3 – Lucerna Bar, Prague – Czech Republic
Thursday, April 4 – Bei Chez Heinz, Hannover – Germany
Friday, April 5 – Matrix Club, Bochum – Germany
Saturday, April 6 – Faster & Louder Festival– Eindhoven, Netherlands
Wednesday, May 30th – Dauwpop Festival, Hellendoorn
Saturday, June 1st – Primavera Sound, Barcelona
Friday, July 5th – Down The Rabbit Hole, Ewijk
Thursday, 20th July – Deichbrand Festival, Cuxhaven  
Tuesday, 13th August – Sziget Festival, Budapest