Frank Carter – not to be confused with Frank Turner – was once the front man of havok merchants Gallows. A band that exploded into the mainstream from the hardcore scene in the mid 2000s, Gallows were a big shock to the Kerrang! reading youth and their authenticity was a breath of fresh air in a world of over produced, radio friendly, tepid nonsense from the other side of the pond.
Now, Frank is known best for being one of The Rattlesnakes – a two piece that’s brought a maturity to Frank’s output while still harnessing some explosive punk roots. Tonight The Barrowlands are in the crosshairs for this aural assault.
The opener for tonight is Hot Wax. I was sure I’d heard of them before, but my aged mind might just be latching on to the word ‘Hot’. We have Hot Mulligan, we have Hot Milk, and now we have Hot Wax. There must be a charm around that word since these guys/girls/whatever are also really good. Riotgrrl punk where the shouting doesn’t turn into squealing or screeching.
Really beefy instrumentals with a power that’s quite frankly astounding from three people with a ton of venom and snarl. Going to go out of my way to catch these guys again.
I first came across The Mysterines when they supported Arctic Monkeys last year. In preparation I re-read my review just to see what I said back then. It might be harsh to say it must have been a case of “if you can’t say anything nice…” with the handful of sentences I wrote. Musically they’re fine and the vocals are very, very good.
The issue is that the pace of their music slows everything down and saps the energy that Hot Wax built up. The Mysterine car seems to be stuck in second gear and by now we should be Thelma and Louise-ing it off a cliff for the headliners.
Frank Carter and his Rattlesnakes come on and launch into ‘Can I Take You Home’ in what’s described as the “First Act” of the show. To describe what I’m feeling through this set, I need to evoke the Arctic Monkeys again… hear me out. When Arctic Monkeys fans say they listen to rock music – this is what they should be listening to.
What we get tonight has the smooth, Rhodes-drenched, lounge feel that the Monkeys have chased for years, but also has the sharp hardcore punk bubbling under the surface that occasionally breaches the surface like a killer whale. This is getting served an old-fashioned but with razor blades in it rather than a twist.
The three acts are something I’ve never come across at a gig before, but I like it. It helps the dynamic nicely so you’re not going from slow to fast to ballad to chaos and back to ballad. There’s a defined flow to the set which builds on the excitement of the previous songs.
Excitement is the operative word tonight as even the smooth numbers are like the hardest hitting Bond theme you’ve ever heard, and when it all kicks off there’s huge, drop tuned riffs that machine gun their way between snarling vocals and a thundering rhythm section. There’s really nothing like this right now – a mature hardcore rock with an intelligent musicality carrying it.
The last few times Frank Carter has played Glasgow, it’s been at the Barrowlands. He’s more than capable of filling larger venues – I wouldn’t even put The Hydro past him – but he chooses this space time and time again. It’s clear with the planning of the set, the choice of room, and the energy thrown at the crowd, this is a band who care about the fans. The love thrown back at the band tonight shows that the effort is more than worth it, and it only ensures that the fight for tickets for the next time is going to be even more ferocious.
Photos by Catching Light Photography
Catching Light Photography
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