Frank Carter shot to fame around 2006 with the hardcore punk band Gallows, before leaving for new rock project Pure Love in 2011. By 2014 however Pure Love were done and Carter was on his own. Within a year though he had returned to his hardcore punk roots and formed his current band, dubbed Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes.
The buzz surrounding this new group has been intense and with sell out shows and successful festival slots in the bag, not least main stage at Reading and Leeds, the future looks bright for Mr.Carter and his Rattlesnakes. Also in the bag now are two albums with the second, ‘Modern Ruin’, hitting shelves and an impressive number 7 in the charts back in January.
Tonight at The Waterfront in Norwich marks the first of a lengthy tour of the UK. Twelve dates in total, finishing at London’s Koko venue, and most impressively every single show a sell out before a note is even struck in anger. The venue this evening is already nearing capacity, with anticipation at a high, before our support even takes to the stage.
Opening proceedings tonight are Blackpool’s Strange Bones who get the venue moving early on with their raw and energetic punk rock. Fitting nicely on a bill with Carter and co, Strange Bones get the audience even more pumped up, if that’s even possible! The band have definitely won over some fans tonight and with momentum already on their side, the future looks bright for Strange Bones.
There’s almost a complete change of pace next, as we welcome the female fronted Yonaka to the stage. Their much cleaner variety of rock initially appears a little lost on the punk crowd, but they soon have the vast majority of the venue won over. Yonaka certainly appear to be another band worth keeping an eye on, as their dark poppy rock could definitely find a home in the mainstream.
Speaking of finding a home, that’s what Frank Carter appears to have finally of done in Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes. He seems happy and grateful for the opportunity the band has provided him. The smartly dressed Carter and co hit the ground running tonight with the likes of ‘Snake Eyes’ and ‘Trouble’. From the very first note the venue is shaking tonight and come the end I’m surprised that it’s still in one piece.
That’s just the sort of fandom that Carter has attracted with this project. Hardcore fans who are passionate about the output of the band. There is crossover appeal in this project and tonight’s audience is a mixed bag. There are all age groups from 60 plus down to a handful of kids barely old enough to be here. There are the punks, the rockers and even some hipsters, but all merge together to form as Carter terms it “family”.
This is also where the band have the potential for big things. As they proved in conquering main stage at Reading and Leeds, they are playing underground music for the mainstream and the people are buying it. The show tonight is raw, it’s hot and it’s damn sweaty. It’s loud too, really loud but nobody is complaining, just living it. By the time the mighty ‘Devil Inside Me’ brings the evening towards it’s end, the band have proven their pedigree.
The reaction from the crowd is intense and following an impromptu ‘Paradise’, ‘I Hate You’ has the crowd singing in unison. This tour has the makings of a monumental moment in this bands career, and the crowd head into the night proud to say they were part of the opening night. The bar has been set and the eleven venues to follow need to be prepared!
FUTURE GIGS
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