We’re being spoilt here in the North with top drawer British rock this week after Enter Shikari laid waste to Leeds Arena only a few days ago. So, we’re exceptionally excited for everyone’s favourite angry punk kid turned Mr Suave holding court at Leeds Academy.
Hot Wax are up first, full of cool swaggering garage punk attitude, with an awesome line in slinky riffs and bouncing beats. Early nineties Sub Pop tone and vintage fuzzy grooves. They have a great synergy onstage and a boundless authentic looseness without ever being messy, just totally dialed in and already very cool! Jazzy blues breakdowns sometimes permeate the garage punk jams and this band do rage to laid-back so effortlessly. This band looks and sounds like they’re from Seattle but they’re actually English and like Kid Kapichi they’re from that hot bed of UK punk, Hastings. Singer Tallulah, slips into a soulful lazy Sunday lilt one minute full throat shredding grunge attack the next on the awesome single ‘Rip It Out’.
Mysterines, do a nice line in almost folky-tinged alternative rock, with at times almost a nod to Fleetwood Mac, a far less punky affair than Hot Wax that we’re sure will find a lot of new fans. There’s enough attitude in Lia Metcalfe’s vocals to make sure it doesn’t stray too far into the mainstream. This supremely charismatic Liverpudlian band seem genuinely happy to be here! Lia also employs a stunning vibrato on the vocals and the band have almost a country edge at times, in the same way Dinosaur Jnr could sound a little country at times, this means they can sound warm and comforting in a way. They do switch it at choice moments and then they bristle with more danger and snake around Lia’s great breathless vocal style, sometimes adding a Hole even L7 type attitude and sneer. A very polished performance and definitely ones to watch.
Frank Carter slinks onstage in a long coat and it seems his first three tracks are dedicated to seduction. The coat is soon tossed off, shirt buttons undone and then ‘Kitty Sucker’ heralds the full pelt sing-along section. Frank is as ever the consummate showman with that ever-present glint in his eye and British southern charm. As is customary the all-girls mosh pit “or happiest mosh pit you’ll ever see,” is the cue for the punk rock love song, ‘Wild Flowers’ and it’s impossible to argue with the fact that alongside maybe Benji Webbe no one quite has a crowd held as putty in their hands like Frank Carter. Equal parts wit and authority and most of all fun!
Frank asks the crowd if they’re having the best time they’ve ever had, and the rapturous response is very hard to argue with! ‘Tyrant Lizard King’ showcases the thudding bottom end rumbling the Academy deeply at its core. New track ‘Honey’ sounds way harder live thanks again to an airtight rhythm section. One off single ‘Parasite’ pogos its way into view with tons of distinctly British venom. ‘Our Town’ is dedicated to the Leeds massive and those ever present, “Yorkshire!” chants we get here in Leeds. Frank breaks it all down for the gorgeous, ‘Sun Bright Golden Happening’, before we go and get the ‘Crowbar’ and we are back in prime riot starting form, with that breakdown threatening to ignite the boisterous crowd into a full-scale combustion!
All riled up after that we’re all in the mood to, ‘Go Get A Tattoo’ Frank definitely doesn’t seem to have much room left for tattoos judging by his mid song disrobe. The awesome, ‘Lullaby’ thunders in and remains the sweetest and yet most menacing musical juxtaposition ever. ‘Dark Rainbow’s new album tracks like ‘Happier Days’, whilst sounding more laid-back on record definitely bounce live and can’t be called softer by any stretch. Once again, a full-on reminder of the rude health that UK music is in these days!
This chapter of the set closes with a beautiful ‘End Of Suffering’ providing a charming acoustic lead dose of introspection. Frank leaves the stage but of course that’s not it. A poignant, ‘Thunder’ rolls us into the encore section and then crowd-pleasing anthem, ‘I Hate You’ turns the air predictably blue as Frank says he “loves us all and this is how much” The entire crowd sing the lyrics at the top of their lungs, same as they’ve been doing on every song, all night as a matter of fact!
Fitting then that we end with, ‘Man Of The Hour’ as that’s exactly what Frank Carter is, scratch that, man of the decade more like, on form like this he and his amazing Rattlesnakes are unreservedly outstanding.
Review & Photos By George Miller – https://linktr.ee/601music
Hot Wax
Mysterines
Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes
