LIVE REVIEW: Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes, The Roundhouse, London, 15/02/2024
Photo Credit: Brian Rankin
Somewhere over a dark rainbow, Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes have embarked on a new era of colourful class, sophistication and meaning with their latest LP Dark Rainbow, a record worlds away from the hardcore punk attack they exhibited on previous works in the vein of Blossom, Modern Ruin and End Of Suffering. But it was a balancing act between their Cloudy And Pink opening act to their Redemption Arc that assured Carter and co’s fans that whilst this band are mesmerised by the arc of their own rainbow right now, at Camden’s iconic Roundhouse they still delivered a live performance of punk-rock punch.
On Dark Rainbow The Rattlesnakes upped the sultry woozy indie style and so did their live show. Stepping out of the velvet curtain shadows a sharply dressed Frank Carter comes out head to toe dripping in a crisp white suit before segwaying into Act I Cloudy & Pink featuring appearances from new album tracks Brambles and Self Love, Frank’s notoriously abrasive and attacking vocals now sounding buttery and smooth.
Act II Like Lightning however brought a familiar sounding thunderstorm The Roundhouses way. “Now we can get the party started” taunts Carter before exploding into Devil Inside Of Me, the pit erupting for the first time tonight. But it certainly wasn’t the last time the mosh pits gets some action this evening as a back to back assault of Kitty Sucker then Wild Flowers, which witnesses every male in the standing area getting kicked out of the pit, instructing “fellas exit the mosh pit” for the famous moment every female member of the crowd can feel safe and free to be in a mosh pit without fear, which is always a poignant moment of a Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes show.
After that it was much of the same going into Act III Redemption Arc songs such as Crowbar, Juggernaut and End Of Suffering proving Franks point earlier to ring indefinitely true “We’ve shed some skin, but we are still the same old snake”.
It wasn’t until the epilogue of the evening that the class exhibited on Act I returned for one last hurrah. Certainly men of the hour, Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes gave the snake out every ounce of their identity, from the hardcore days that ignited their back catalogue of bangers to the classy timeless feel of their new tracks, there was something for every stage of a Frank Carter fan here tonight and the snake pit absolutely lapped up every moment of it. 8/10
Written By: Katie Conway-Flood
