{"id":24223,"date":"2024-02-12T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=24223"},"modified":"2024-02-11T16:44:28","modified_gmt":"2024-02-11T16:44:28","slug":"frank-carter-and-the-rattlesnakes-the-mysterines-hotwax-university-great-hall-cardiff-6th-february-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=24223","title":{"rendered":"Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes<\/a>\/The Mysterines\/HotWax \u2013 University Great Hall, Cardiff – 6th<\/sup> February 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tonight is the opening night of the UK leg of Frank Carter And the Rattlesnakes\u2019 tour in support of their recently released fifth studio album \u2018Dark Rainbow\u2019, and whilst there are no Sold Out signs on the posters by the time The Mysterines hit the stage midway through proceedings it\u2019s certainly as full as when I saw The Cult here playing \u2018Sonic Temple\u2019 and that had Sold Out plastered all over it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Granted it does take a while for Cardiff University\u2019s Great Hall to fill up though, and that might be due in some part to the almost biblical amounts of rain falling outside, so when Hastings trio HotWax hit the stage at almost bang-on 7:30 the hall is still only about a third full. There are still a hell of a lot more people here than when me and my gig going buddy Nev Brooks last saw the band though when we encountered them playing a cellar bar in Newport back in April of last year and I rather bravely declared that they are \u201cone amazing band in the making\u201d in my review for RPM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spending most of the tail end of 2023 supporting Royal Blood around the enormodomes of the UK, Ireland and the US has seemingly only helped to reinforce my point, and now even the likes of Alexis Petridis are singing the band\u2019s praises in the mainstream press. This might be down to the fact that where there was previously a degree of innocence within the still very young band\u2019s sound, here tonight, the trio take their catalogue of fine post punk grunge infused tunes and literally ram them down our throats straight from the get-go. That time spent on big stages has certainly worked its magic with HotWax that\u2019s for sure. \u00a0Catching up briefly with both vocalist\/guitarist Tallulah Sim-Savage and bassist Lola Sam following their set, they both laugh when Nev mentions that Newport show, almost in a half-embarrassed way (they shouldn\u2019t be though, it was great), and they immediately credit their newfound sonic intensity to \u201chaving much bigger amps now.\u201d Whatever it is, HotWax are great fun and I\u2019d suggest you experience the fury of their all-new backline too as they play pretty much all over the UK this spring\/summer. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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A band who are certainly no stranger to larger stages is Merseyside alt-rockers The Mysterines, having not only played Cardiff University before headlining the building\u2019s neighbouring Y Plas venue, they\u2019ve also toured with the likes of the Arctic Monkeys and there\u2019s also the not so insignificant fact that their 2022 debut album \u2018Reeling\u2019 not only landed them a number 9 spot on the UK album charts but also graced the RPM Online Albums for that year too. Yet somehow, I\u2019ve never heard a single song by them, well, until tonight anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking to the stage with (non-album track) \u2018The Last Dance\u2019 I\u2019m instantly wrapped up in the band\u2019s overdriven almost alt-country take on their genre, and it\u2019s all topped off with the unique twist of Lia Metcalfe\u2019s effortlessly cool vocal delivery, something that has me half wondering if this is what Lone Justice might have sounded like if they\u2019d have formed a decade later and been signed to Sub Pop.  Throughout their 7 song set The Mysterines exude a sense of class above that of simply being a.n.other support act, and looking around me there does seem to be a large contingent of the crowd mouthing every word to the likes of \u2018Dangerous\u2019 \u2018All These Things\u2019 and set closer \u2018Hung Up\u2019. I must have been the last person at RPM to discover this band, but better late than never I always say, and the Mysterines were most certainly worth the wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In spite of the fact that \u2018Dark Rainbow\u2019 is Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes most introspective and mature sounding album to date, and indeed, in spite of the fact that there are two keyboards being set up on stage during the changeover, Mr Brooks and I rather sensibly decide to take up a much safer position (for our aged bodies) on the edges of the by now packed out crowd ahead of tonight\u2019s headliner\u2019s arrival on stage. It\u2019s whilst picking out our new spot that I get chatting to a young lad about what awaits us, and he shares with me the fact that the first time he\u2019d seen The Rattlesnakes live was at Sin City in Swansea back in 2019, which also just happened to be the last time I\u2019d seen the band live. It\u2019s at this point I suddenly realise it\u2019s been a full 17 years since I first saw Frank Carter grace a live stage, just around the corner in the still much missed Barfly venue, and just as I\u2019m about to do my very best Colin Robinson impression and share this my new BBF the lights suddenly go down and it\u2019s showtime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I guess the real relevance of recalling this, is that things in life change as do people, and just like the fact that last time I saw Frank Carter live he had the demeanour of a young offender about to commit a crime, tonight he bowls onto the stage looking like that same, now slightly older offender, coming out of prison after doing a five stretch. Thankfully, Frank\u2019s only crime (as far as I\u2019m aware) is that of writing some of his generation\u2019s finest rock songs and alongside his longtime Rattlesnake writing partner Dean Richardson, with \u2018Dark Rainbows\u2019 they have penned their most musically brave set of tunes yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s obviously an album they are fiercely proud of too as evidenced by the fact that during the band\u2019s 19 song set list they play all of the record\u2019s 11 tracks, and as Frank seems acutely aware that this might be a bit of a stretch for some of those looking to come and stir up it up in the pit to the band\u2019s anthemic back catalogue, he quickly promises following the opening 1-2 of \u2018Can I Take You Home\u2019 and \u2018Brambles\u2019 that the band is about to kick everyone\u2019s arse by mid-set.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Me, I could happily have left after \u2018Brambles\u2019 as for me that is the band\u2019s finest 3 minutes and 30 odd seconds to date. Of course, I don\u2019t head for the doors, but whilst I might agree in principle with Mr Brooks that opening the set with new songs is somewhat risky when they are songs as strong as these then maybe for once its more about listening and soaking up the music rather than simply losing our shit to the oldies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Talking of which \u2018Kitty Sucker\u2019 is the first of the older tunes played tonight, but it\u2019s the Dr Who theme tune staccato riffage that introduces \u2018Devil Inside of Me\u2019 that generates the full-on frenzy I\u2019ve become accustomed to whenever Frank Carter has been our ringmaster for the night. \u2018Juggernaut\u2019 quickly follows, and that glorious bastard of a tune truly steamrollers us all into submission. My new BFF returning to my side immediately after this soaked to the skin thankful, I guess, that the new album\u2019s opening track \u2018Honey\u2019 is up next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What strikes me most tonight (other than the fact that the band have seemingly inherited Mark Langan\u2019s old red\/blue light show) is just how fantastic a vocal performance Frank Carter turns in, something I can\u2019t ever remember saying during my numerous previous live encounters with the singer where perhaps the showman aspect has always come first, or perhaps I\u2019m just listening for once eh? Tonight, though the likes of \u2018Lullaby\u2019 and main set closer \u2018Man of the Hour\u2019 (a tune that is just as popular as the oldies I might add) sound gigantic, and custom built for arenas around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning for a 2 song encore of \u2018Thunder\u2019 (perhaps one of the less obvious choices from the band\u2019s formidable sophomore record) and \u2018A Dark Rainbow\u2019 (the sombre closing track from the band\u2019s latest album) I do wonder what might be next for The Rattlesnakes though following this tour. As I mentioned earlier the band sound colossal right now, but by equal measure at times tonight they also seem like they might just fall apart at any time such is the fragility of the new material. Whatever happens, let\u2019s just all enjoy the ride, because Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes are one righteous celebration of everything that is good and great in rock music here in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author: Johnny Hayward<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tonight is the opening night of the UK leg of Frank Carter And the Rattlesnakes\u2019 tour in support of their recently released fifth studio album \u2018Dark Rainbow\u2019, and whilst there are no Sold Out signs on the posters by the time The Mysterines hit the stage midway through proceedings it\u2019s certainly as full as when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24224,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[1119],"class_list":["post-24223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-live-review","tag-frank-carter-the-rattlesnakes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24223"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24227,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24223\/revisions\/24227"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}