Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes’ Dark Rainbows Shine At The Roundhouse

by | Feb 20, 2024

Few musicians and artists that I’ve followed over the years have evolved as much as Frank Carter has since I first saw him fronting Gallows when they opened for the MC5/DTK at The Underworld in Camden back in December 2006. Back then, I described Carter as a “wee ginger gobshite” who offered out the audience for a fight, he was so sure we all hated his band that much. The truth, however, was by the end of that incendiary set, Gallows had won over almost the entire crowd as fans. Sadly, now Frank is the first artist connected to brother Wayne Kramer that I’ve seen since the MC5 innovator recently passed away.

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse (Nick Allan)
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse (Nick Allan)

I arrived at Camden’s Roundhouse venue just after The Mysterines came on, so missed the hotly-tipped opening act Hot Wax entirely. The Mysterines are a five-piece from Liverpool fronted by Lia Metcalfe, who from the first song I heard in full – The Last Goodbye – were an ok alternative rock band, that reminded me a bit of 10,000 Maniacs with a dose of Garbage in the sound.

Dangerous certainly didn’t sound at all dangerous, being far too meat and potatoes to leave much of an impression when supporting as magnetic an act as Frank Carter. Metcalfe then swapped her guitar for a tambourine on Begin Again that thinned the band’s sound further, making me want the frontwoman to pick up her guitar again.

All These Things was a decent list song, describing the those things wrong in a relationship that need healing in order to move on. Metcalfe finally strapped her guitar back on, giving the band’s latest single Stray a real lift, as it sounded like she was doing all the interesting stuff in the bands sound. They closed with Hung Up for someone who just can’t let go of a relationship that’s done and dusted, still holding on hoping against hope that it’s not over, it seemed to go down well.

  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse
  • The Mysterines @ Roundhouse

After the break it was time for the return of Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes playing the first of two nights at the Camden venue to promote the band’s fifth album Dark Rainbow. They are performing as a five-piece with right hand man Deano Richardson opening the show on piano, playing the intro to Can I Take You Home as Frank ambled on in a baggy white suit to start singing, rather than the shouting and wailing he used to do, the shock is what a great singing voice he has, as the song got going Deano switched to guitar and the whole band really come to life.

Brambles, the second selection from Dark Rainbows, is slow, thoughtful and full of passion rather than the anger of old. Frank then encouraged everyone to relish some Self-Love as if you don’t love yourself, why would anyone else, as Gareth Grover’s crisp drumming held things down nicely.

The first real pit of the set opened up the moment they dove into Devil Inside Me from the band’s debut album Blossoms that showed they still have that hardcore edge, with the familiar old growl rearing its head, the tune going down a storm  Kitty Sucker had Tom Barclay’s bass rattling deep within us as the band made good use of the mini stages and Dias on the stage as Frank almost crooned the vocals.

Wild Flowers was the first signs of Modern Ruin that had most of the audience singing along as the 39-year-old exhibited plenty of showmanship without running amok like he used to. He then told all the men to get out of the pit as only women were allowed to mosh to Tyrant Lizard King, stopping the song halfway through to get rid of a few men who hadn’t quite got the message as the ladies let loose in the pit.

Honey was rather lush as Elliot Russell seemed to battle it out with Deano for a bit of guitar supremacy. Frank then did a little bit of self-promotion for his other trade on Go Get A Tattoo (just make sure Frank is the artist!), while he seemed to hit higher notes that I ever expected him to sing.

My Town was dedicated to everyone from London (or any other town really) as he had a go as the homogenous identikit towns he’s seen whilst touring, as they all end up looking the same. Cupid’s Arrow took a long hard look at the need for consent. And as the guitars rampaged, Frank tried to get her to say yes instead of no.

Queen Of Hearts was an invitation to help him get back up again if he should fall either into that pit of depression, or some other dark place while keeping the pop edge of much of the new album. Thunder took us back to Modern Ruin while seeming to have a more angst-filled edge. Then they took the roof off with a monumental version of Crowbar that had almost everyone singing this hit along with them.

One of the highlights from Blossoms Juggernaut was the perfect time for Frank to disappear from the stage and push through the audience, only these days he has two handlers with him. Before long he had found a few people to hold him up so he could stand and sing from the centre of the pit, a magnificent reminder of how wild the earlier pre-accident Rattlesnakes shows were.

Lullaby sounds more like a lullaby these days than it originally did with some very tender vocals as Carter tries to get us all to go to sleep. He then encouraged everyone to turn on the torches on their phones and hold them in the air for Happier Days and suddenly The Roundhouse was a sea of phone lights swaying along, before the five-piece closed with a stunning rendition of End Of Suffering to leave the packed Roundhouse wanting lots more.

The encore opened with another song from End Of Suffering – the wonderful Angel Wings – that allowed for some band intros before the place went totally mental for I Hate You, the monster bile-filled singalong rant from Blossoms, that had everyone bellowing “I Fucking Hate You” as loudly as we could. They then closed the night with the brilliant Man Of The Hour from Dark Rainbow, with it’s singalong chorus of “Rockstar pornstar, Man Of The Hour, just sing it loud” which was an instruction that we all happily took up a great way to close a very powerful show.

  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse
  • Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Roundhouse

Live review of Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ The Roundhouse, London on 15th February 2024 by Simon Phillips. Photography by Nick Allan.

EMF Bring The Beauty And The Chaos To The Garage

Wyatt Flores @ Roundhouse (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Wyatt Flores Brings Honest Heart And Sharp Style To London’s Roundhouse

On a crisp October night at London’s Roundhouse, Wyatt Flores stepped onto the stage to a roaring crowd, his name echoing around the vaulted room with a force that surprised even him. Supporting 49 Winchester on their UK run, the Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter might technically have been the opener, but from the reaction that greeted him, it was clear many had come just as much for Wyatt.

49 Winchester @ Roundhouse (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

From Russell County To Camden Town: 49 Winchester’s Triumphant Roundhouse Performance

Virginia’s 49 Winchester transformed Camden’s Roundhouse into a celebration of straight-from-the-heart Americana. Early in the set, frontman Isaac Gibson acknowledged to the audience that this was the band’s first sold-out night on the tour and the response from the crowd made clear how much the moment meant to everyone in the room.

Echobelly @ Electric Ballroom (Kalpesh Patel)

Echobelly Bring ON To Life At The Electric Ballroom – A Triumphant Celebration Of Britpop’s Enduring Spirit

It’s been three decades since Echobelly released ON, the Britpop-era gem that cemented them as one of the most vital and distinctive voices of the mid-90s. On Thursday night at London’s Electric Ballroom, the band — fronted by the magnetic Sonya Madan and founding guitarist Glenn Johansson — returned to Camden to celebrate that legacy, playing the album in full to a sold-out crowd that sang, swayed, and grinned their way through one of the most joyous nostalgia trips of the year.

The Kooks @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

Not Naïve – The Kooks Are Always Where They Need To Be At London’s O2 Arena

Brighton Indie Pop darlings The Kooks played quite possibly the biggest and best show of their 20 year career at The O2 Arena on Saturday night. A night of nostalgia, of celebration and of cementing themselves as one of the best British bands formed in the 21st century.

Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory @ O2 Academy Birmingham (Nick Allan)

New Found Glory Never Miss, Only Hit At O2 Academy Birmingham

There’s something about a New Found Glory show that feels like coming home. No matter how many years have passed or how much life has changed, when those opening chords hit, you’re right back where it all started — shouting lyrics with your friends, sweaty, smiling, and completely lost in the moment.

Remember Monday @ Latitude Festival 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Remember Monday Return With New Single ‘More Than Ever’ Ahead Of Headline UK Tour

Country-pop trio Remember Monday continue their breakout year with the release of their new single More Than Ever, co-written with GRAMMY® winner and chart-topping artist Cian Ducrot. The track arrives just as the band kick off their highly anticipated What The Hell Just Happened? UK and Ireland headline tour, which culminates at London’s iconic O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

Davina Michelle (Press)

Davina Michelle Launches Empowering New Era With ‘What A Woman’

Dutch pop sensation Davina Michelle has released her brand-new single What A Woman, an empowering anthem that celebrates the strength, intelligence, and individuality of women everywhere. The track arrives alongside a striking new music video, introducing a bold new chapter for one of the Netherlands’ most successful modern pop artists.

Ash @ Scala (Kalpesh Patel)

Ash Share Video for ‘Ad Astra’ Featuring Graham Coxon

Northern Irish alt-rock stalwarts Ash have shared the video for their latest single Ad Astra, featuring Blur’s Graham Coxon, taken from their brand-new album of the same name — out now on Fierce Panda Records.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing