Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes + London’s Dead! + Thee MVPs @ The Slade Rooms, 15th November, 2016
If support acts are meant to echo elements of the evening’s headliners then Thee MVPs represent the punk element of Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes as they take to the stage in support of him this evening. Performing fun riff led pop songs to an ever growing audience, the band do well to be engaging whilst channelling something between The Strokes and Dune Rats, a strange comparison but one we have decided to stick with.
Next up are London’s Dead! who it would seem are on every tour that you look at at the moment, seemingly aided by both being on Infectious BMG & Rise Records and the fact that their music will obviously appeal to a wide range of people. That’s certainly true if you look at the popularity of My Chemical Romance, with whom the band share a lot of similarities in both their musical style but also their focus on theatrics even in a small venue such as the Slade Rooms. Having seen them both at Slam Dunk festival and also supporting SWMRS earlier in the year, the band’s performance is always something to applaud with the whole band already looking like they’re performing on much bigger stages, which one can only assume is how you actually get to play them.
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes is the latest project of Frank Carter, former vocalist in both Gallows and Pure Love. This band has seen Frank find a strong middle ground between the two projects, mixing the hardcore elements of Gallows with the alt rock sound associated with Pure Love. Releasing debut record ‘Blossom’ in late 2015, this tour sees the band gearing up for the release of second record ‘Modern Ruin’ early next year.
Upon entrance to the venue this evening, fans were given a leaflet explaining how anyone crowd surfing this evening would be ejected immediately. It’s obvious as Carter takes to the stage however that this request is not going to be followed through.
Fans fly over the barrier as Carter performs tracks from his debut record, before taking to the crowd himself whilst performing new song ‘Lullaby’. There are also slower moments in tracks such as ‘A Beautiful Death’ backed just by a guitar that Frank requests the whole audience to sit on the floor and listen to the track for what it is.
There are plenty of moment’s in-between tracks for Frank’s tongue in cheek nature to shine through, whilst also dedicating a track for the women in the audience to safely crowd surf. It’s a testament to Frank as both an individual as well as the songs he creates that this whole tour has sold out, showing the popularity he has gained over his career.
Ending the set on the powerful ‘I Hate You’, there’s nothing but adoration for one of the icons of modern day punk as his tuneful growl echoes around the room.
Setlist:
Trouble
Fangs
Rotten Blossom
Lullaby
Jackals
Beautiful Death
Modern Ruin
Paradise
Snake Eyes
Devil Inside Me
I Hate You
Reviewer – Dan Earl
Photography – Steve Kilmister