FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES + HOTWAX – CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON 15.10.24
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes roll into Brighton as part of what may be a valedictory tour, following the announcement that they are going on “indefinite hiatus”. If there was any lack of ticket sales, that announcement has certainly resulted in a slew of sold-out shows. Whether this hiatus is a result of Frank’s recent shows with the Sex Pistols remains to be seen. Rumours of the Pistols playing world tours and summer festivals abound. Only time will tell.
Support tonight comes from the ever incendiary HotWax. I first saw them at ‘The Great Escape‘ last year. I was astounded to discover that they were only eighteen years old, and they were already playing like absolute demons. I can only assume that they spent the bulk of their teen years (and possibly their childhoods) practicing in their bedrooms. They really are that good. Moreover, they’re on excellent form tonight. I really don’t believe that they know what “a bad day at the office” actually is!
When they take the stage they immediately tear into ‘One More Reason’ which has a fab funky bass line, reminding me of The Knack. HotWax are probably too young to even know who that band were! Bassist Lola Sam is wearing a red pearly queen jacket, which is very fetching, but probably a bit hot under the stage lights. ‘Treasure’ is gloriously riffy, with interesting tempo changes too. One of the key things about HotWax is that they are musically ambitious. Not only that, but they have the chops to more than match that ambition.
‘She’s Got A Problem’ is their new single, coming out on 21st October – Pre-order it HERE. It more than matches the quality of their previous releases. Lola Sam discards her pearly queen jacket. She has a tattoo of a bass on her inner arm. That must have hurt! ‘Wanna Be A Doll’ features a bass solo, possibly put through a phaser pedal. ‘Lights On’ has a bit of a classic rock sound, but it manages to do so without appearing retro. Drummer Alfie Sayers is particularly impressive here. Tallulah Sim-Savage goes from strength as a frontwoman. Her vocals are superb throughout. ‘Rip It Out’ is an excellent set-closer, with Sim-Savage leaving you in no doubt that she means every word. HotWax: great live band, marvellous material. What’s not to like??? Indeed, see for yourself. They play the ‘Mutations Festival’ in Brighton on 9th November.
HotWax:
Tallulah Sim-Savage – guitar/vocals
Lola Sam – bass/vocals
Alfie Sayers – drums
HotWax setlist:
‘One More Reason’ (unreleased)
‘Treasure’ (from 2023 ‘A Thousand Times’ EP)
‘She’s Got A Problem’ (forthcoming 2024 single)
‘Strange To Be Here’ (unreleased)
‘Wanna Be A Doll’ (unreleased)
‘In Her Bedroom’ (unreleased)
‘Lights On’ (unreleased)
‘Chip My Teeth For You’ (unreleased)
‘Rip It Out’ (from 2023 ‘A Thousand Times’ EP)
When Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes take the stage the reception that they receive is beyond fervent. The audience is definitely largely comprised of devotees. I don’t think anyone is here out of curiosity. The crowd seem to know every word. Surprisingly the band come onstage to ‘White Rabbit’ by Jefferson Airplane, which I didn’t think would be their thing. They immediately kick off with ‘Honey’ from their most recent album ‘Dark Rainbow’. Although it’s a fairly recent song it’s received by the audience like an old friend. ‘Tyrant Lizard King’ from 2019’s ‘End Of Suffering’ album features a savage guitar solo from Dean Richardson. Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes are unusual in that they have two core members, Frank and the aforementioned Dean Richardson, and augment the band with additional musicians when they tour. The additional guitarist tonight is Elliot Russell. He plays occasional keyboards too. Unfortunately I don’t catch the names of the bassist and drummer, but they may well be Tom Barclay on bass and Gareth Grover on drums.
‘Kitty Sucker’, also from ‘End Of Suffering‘ has a rendition that almost takes it to within an inch of its life. The band are on excellent form tonight. The crowd love them. Could Frank really be thinking of giving all of this up for the Sex Pistols? I find it difficult to comprehend. After ‘Wild Flowers’ Frank asks the audience to open up the dance floor from the front to the back “for the ladies”. The idea is for them to have a safe space in which to mosh. This is very well intentioned, but mosh pits should be safe spaces for females anyway. Perhaps I’m being too idealistic.
Most of Frank Carter’s lyrics deal with issues in modern society, and ‘My Town’ is a prime example of this. It’s both powerful and moving. Mentions of used needles lying scattered around are depressing, but that’s because it’s such a realistic scenario. Obviously it’s not like that everywhere, but there are too many places where that is the case.
Before ‘Rotten Blossom’ Frank jumps into the crowd to mosh. He finds somebody’s house and car keys on the floor. I hope that he managed to find their owner! Frank stays in the crowd for ‘Fangs’. An audience member reminds him that he once lost his chain whilst in the crowd. This is something that Frank is still not happy about! He dedicates ‘Juggernaut’ to Brighton, and is back onstage for ‘Brambles’. The mosh pit has been carnage since the get-go. Frank is clearly a very brave boy!
Frank tells us how awful it is to see news of war on his phone. This is part of the introduction to ‘Thunder’. This song was written ten years ago, and is sadly more relevant now than ever. It’s a slow song with thought-provoking lyrics. At the end of the song Frank tells us how lucky we are to have been born here. Any problems we have are certainly first world problems. Frank is very much a man of the people, and is aware of his audience. There’s a lady in a wheelchair at the front. Frank gets her moved so that she has a better view.
The set ends with ‘I Hate You’, with Frank proffering his mic to the crowd, who sing the song for him. It’s a moving moment for both the audience and the band. There’s no encore. Well, what could they follow I Hate You with?
The band were only originally going to do one album and one tour. Five albums later and they’re still here, for now. They don’t know when they’ll be back, or if they’ll be back. This is somewhat unfortunate, as the band unflinchingly tell it like it is. Quite frankly (if you’ll pardon the really quite unintentional pun) Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes are precisely the band that the world needs at this moment in time.
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes:
Frank Carter – lead vocals
Dean “Deano” Richardson – guitar, synthesizer, piano, backing vocals
Plus touring and session musicians:
Tom “Tank” Barclay – bass, keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals
Gareth Grover – drums
Elliot “El” Russell – guitar, keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes setlist:
(Intro: ‘White Rabbit’ by Jefferson Airplane)
‘Honey’ (from 2024 ‘Dark Rainbow’ album)
‘Tyrant Lizard King’ (from 2019 ‘End Of Suffering’ album)
‘Kitty Sucker’ (from 2019 ‘End Of Suffering’ album)
‘Devil Inside Me’ (from 2015 ‘Blossom’ album)
‘Wild Flowers’ (from 2017 ‘Modern Ruin’ album)
‘Self Love’ (from 2024 ‘Dark Rainbow’ album)
‘My Town’ (from 2021 ‘Sticky’ album)
‘Rotten Blossom’ (from 2015 ‘Blossom’ album)
‘Fangs’ (from 2015 ‘Blossom’ album)
‘Juggernaut’ (from 2015 ‘Blossom’ album)
‘Brambles’ (from 2024 ‘Dark Rainbow’ album)
‘Happier Days’ (from 2024 ‘Dark Rainbow’ album)
‘Thunder’ (from 2017 ‘Modern Ruin’ album)
‘Can I Take You Home’ (from 2024 ‘Dark Rainbow’ album)
‘Crowbar’ (from 2019 ‘End Of Suffering’ album)
‘Lullaby’ (from 2017 ‘Modern Ruin’ album)
‘Man Of The Hour’ (from 2024 ‘Dark Rainbow’ album)
‘I Hate You’ (from 2015 ‘Blossom’ album)
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