Ladykiller Caterpillar

There’s a lot to be said about the death of hard rock. Not a week goes by where the long haired, beer swilling, riff-based music that dominated so much of the 20th century has been put to bed, the life support machine turned off.
But scratch the glittery surface of the powder puff pop façade and there’s still some good old-fashioned rock to find out there. Ladykiller Caterpillar are a prime example. Hard rockers with a soft side, they’re flying the torn and bedraggled flag for the genre proudly, or so their debut EP announces.
“Supergroup” might be a bit strong a term to use for this Edinburgh four-piece but there’s certainly a lot of miles in the assembled band. Made up of musicians who have gigged, toured and played with groups the length and breadth of Scotland, the EP sounds much more accomplished and comfortable than that of a band formed less than a year ago.
Tight, solid, completely gelled, Ladykiller Caterpillar have that one, often missed trait, experience. There’s no replacement for being a veteran and this group are testimony to that.
A prime example of this is ‘Eye of the Storm’, the EP’s second track. A powerful, hard-hitting, riff-tastic anthem. The duel guitars have all the qualities that have made rock and roll music such a stand out genre. Here it’s given the 21st century treatment, retaining the big, amp bursting qualities of the likes of Biffy Clyro and other festival rockers with the down and dirty hooks of classic rock heroes.
‘All Legs No Class’ is a fine addition to the sleaze rock catalogue. Apart from the deliciously crass title, the song draws on all the bawdy humour of early AC/DC and KISS. Not to be taken seriously, how could it be in the 21st Century, the track displays the often forgotten fun side of music that can be executed well when in the right hands.
And to close the EP is the delightful ‘Threadbare’. A laid-back acoustic number that would fit in well in a dingy rock bar as it would in a 10,000 seat stadium. Again, experience is the key here. Only in the hands of musicians who have done the rounds and paid their dues and have eliminated those juvenile mistakes that all rookies make.
Fun, energetic and filled with promise, it will be interesting to see where Ladykiller Caterpillar go from here. There’s a gaping, grave shaped gap in the market for a down and dirty rock group. This Edinburgh quartet could easily fill the void.