Rat:Daddy Live
Joiners Arms, 22nd of June 2005:
by Kevin the Zebra
At last the faithful could gather. A Rat:daddy gig is more of an established event, attracting a surprisingly wide spectrum of punter from retro 70s and 80s to modern rock enthusiasts; lovers of beer crying out for loud music and adoring women. It’s cross-age and cross-genre. Rat:daddy attract every party freak in the book. Their return to Southampton’s Joiners came as a relief to the staple diet of weary tread-the-boards band infestation. Rat:daddy’s blinding, stadiumesque performance was their usual mix of feelgood kickass rock delivered like a bolt from the blue shot straight between the eyes imprinting itself like a 10-tonne megablast inferno shattering your skull. Good nights out were made for this stuff. From songs Do-It, with its infectious killer sing-a-long chorus, reminiscent of teaser snippets you hear on chart compilation CDs advertised on TV, to the oh so originally titled why hasn’t anyone thought of it before track Rock Bastard, and the fledgling Pepsi commercial song Take It To The Max, Rat:daddy deliver the goods with both a ferocity and electric intensity, one which most bands wait until they are well established before even daring to pull anything like this off. Rat:daddy are refreshing, fun, gigantic, and sensational, but manage it without the trappings of either isolationist exhibitionism or the well worn path of tacky glam. The charismatic, iconic frontman Ian Hardwick’s pile-driving one-way; do not pass go; do not collect 200 attitude is complimented by an onstage, physical exuberance and presence displayed by the rest of the band, leaving you in no doubt who’s the Daddy. Their interaction with the audience is personal and humorous, transcending the more usual risk-taking danger of blowing-it by demolishing the mystique factor so many bands seem to rely on to remain cool. Rat:daddy are at the brink; with an album imminent, their original material intact, new songs sounding as consistent and strong as ever, heavy touring schedule, blistering live reviews, and major label interest, it seems only a matter of time before these boys get the exposure they deserve. Imagine the look on someone’s face in 5 years time when you tell them you saw Rat:daddy in a pub venue. So do it!
by Kevin the Zebra
At last the faithful could gather. A Rat:daddy gig is more of an established event, attracting a surprisingly wide spectrum of punter from retro 70s and 80s to modern rock enthusiasts; lovers of beer crying out for loud music and adoring women. It’s cross-age and cross-genre. Rat:daddy attract every party freak in the book. Their return to Southampton’s Joiners came as a relief to the staple diet of weary tread-the-boards band infestation. Rat:daddy’s blinding, stadiumesque performance was their usual mix of feelgood kickass rock delivered like a bolt from the blue shot straight between the eyes imprinting itself like a 10-tonne megablast inferno shattering your skull. Good nights out were made for this stuff. From songs Do-It, with its infectious killer sing-a-long chorus, reminiscent of teaser snippets you hear on chart compilation CDs advertised on TV, to the oh so originally titled why hasn’t anyone thought of it before track Rock Bastard, and the fledgling Pepsi commercial song Take It To The Max, Rat:daddy deliver the goods with both a ferocity and electric intensity, one which most bands wait until they are well established before even daring to pull anything like this off. Rat:daddy are refreshing, fun, gigantic, and sensational, but manage it without the trappings of either isolationist exhibitionism or the well worn path of tacky glam. The charismatic, iconic frontman Ian Hardwick’s pile-driving one-way; do not pass go; do not collect 200 attitude is complimented by an onstage, physical exuberance and presence displayed by the rest of the band, leaving you in no doubt who’s the Daddy. Their interaction with the audience is personal and humorous, transcending the more usual risk-taking danger of blowing-it by demolishing the mystique factor so many bands seem to rely on to remain cool. Rat:daddy are at the brink; with an album imminent, their original material intact, new songs sounding as consistent and strong as ever, heavy touring schedule, blistering live reviews, and major label interest, it seems only a matter of time before these boys get the exposure they deserve. Imagine the look on someone’s face in 5 years time when you tell them you saw Rat:daddy in a pub venue. So do it!
