Friday night in Melbourne and the city is buzzing with diners, tourists and those looking for a good time. Well, I found my good time as I approached 170 Russell, where a line of keen concert goers snaked right around the block. They were all here for one reason, and that was to see Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes. The British punk rock band are here taking their killer sound along the East Coast of the country, and tonight was the first of 4 shows. The crowd was buzzing before they even got inside, and as I ventured down the dark stairs of the underground club, I could feel the energy emanating from the entire room. The crowd was relatively young but there also seemed to be a substantial group of men over the age of 50 there ready for a good time too. It just goes to show you really can’t pick a band’s fanbase!
Drinks were being poured, and groups of friends were scattered about the place and lounging on the couches in each corner, debriefing about their weeks, and also anticipating what the night was going to have in store for them. I found myself a comfortable little possy in front of the mix desk and realised I was in for a hectic night when, judging by the line-up of empties, the guy standing next to me appeared to be 3 VB’s deep already and the doors had only been open for 30 minutes. To warm up this excited bunch was a Sydney band who now call Melbourne home, These New South Whales. Their upbeat rock sound had the crowd limbering up in anticipation for the night to come, and it wasn’t long before their job was done, and they departed the stage.
These New South Whales Gallery
The room now seemed more hyped and animated, and the crowd were jostling into position ready for the main event. Now, given that I had only been recently acquainted with Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes for the first time that week (Thanks Spotify), I thought I should play it safe and venture to the back of the room next to the elevated bar where it was less crowded. Call it intuition or just plain old-fashioned common sense, but bloody hell am I glad I made that decision. The already dim lights went completely down again, and the crowd started to wind up as Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes entered the stage to a fiery reception. They opened their set with the upbeat track Self Love, and the crowd were absolutely lapping it up. The mosh pit was only getting warmed up and it was at this point that I realised I was glad to not be down there.
Lead singer, Frank told us it was a pleasure to be back before singing a track off their most recent album, Honey. This had the whole room head-banging in sync, and what an awesome sight to behold. Devil Inside Me was the next black cab off the rank, and this one was definitely a personal favourite. The mosh pit was absolutely hectic by this point, and the song’s heavy beat and rhythm was reminiscent of Marilyn Manson’s Beautiful People. Despite hearing glimpses of influences of other artists in their music, Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes still have their own uniquely distinct sound. Kitty Sucker had the crowd singing along, and the band were playing their absolute guts out as if their life depended on it. By this time, every single person in the place was having a sick time. Even the couple standing in front of me, who were playing a game of tonsil hockey for the show’s entirety seemed to be enjoying themselves. Wildflowers kicked off and was followed up with Tyrant Lizard King, and this is when shit really started to kick-off. As the mosh pit was spreading like wildfire, Frank ventured out into the audience in what I can only call literal crowd surfing as he remained standing upright. Floating over the fans who had his back (well, his legs), he appeared to be walking on water as he belted out the song with his voice not faltering once.
By this time the room was absolutely heaving, and you could almost see a physical cloud of energy in the air. My Town had the crowd providing backing vocals, and Frank with his what I would call ‘endearing ego’, had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand and I just couldn’t take my eyes off him. It was love song time with Cupid’s Arrow, before venturing into another personal favourite of mine Can I Take You Home, with its slower and sexy vibe that absorbs right into your bones. Brambles was up next, and Frank demanded ” everyone grab a partner, I wanna see you dance the whole way through the fucker!” He ended the song with a huge note, that really showcased the set of pipes this bloke has on him. The mosh pit was still absolute fire for Crowbar, while Lullaby had the whole room bouncing, and crowd surfing was back in full swing. From my view, there only seemed to be one security guard doing the literal heavy lifting down the front, as it looked like he was playing a game of whack-a-mole fishing out each crowd surfer before they bit the dust.
The night was drawing to a close, but not before the crowd took over the lead vocals for, I Hate You and never have I seen a crowd sing with so much passion. Once the song was over we were wished goodnight before the stage went black, but the band didn’t budge. The crowd took this as their cue to squeeze another song out of the band, and they didn’t need to squeeze for long. Rather than doing the whole awkward leave the stage encore ritual (which I find so cringey), the band remained in place and said, “yep we’ll do one more for you”. To send us on our merry way for the evening we were treated to Man Of The Hour, which was quite appropriate given that this band is well and truly the band of the fucking hour. There were then hugs between Frank and a few lucky people in the front row before the band left for good, and the punters were left to fly back out to the real world on the excitement cloud they were all riding.
Admittedly, I went into this gig blind not knowing the band, having only listened to their music in the days before the show. But it says a lot about a band that has the power to turn a clueless someone into a huge fan within the space of an hour. For the duration of the show, Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes gave 500% and didn’t waver once with their seemingly endless stamina. This is one fucking shit-hot band that effortlessly commands the stage with their presence, and their high energy is intoxicating. Frank summed it up perfectly when he yelled to the crowd “When you leave here tonight, you can tell anyone that asks, that we’re still fucking great!” Don’t you worry, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing. You’ve got a new fan in me guys, and anyone who misses their show should cry themselves to sleep at night for the loss. Definitely a band you need to see live in your lifetime!
Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes Gallery
With thanks to Crowd Favourite PR & Live Nation for the media accreditation
Image Credit: Adam Portelli
