Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes: Astra, Berlin – live review

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes
Astra Kulturhaus, Berlin
13th November 2022

With the weekend drawing to a close, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes tore through Astra Kulturhaus in Berlin for one last party of the week. Nick O’Leary (words) and Svenja Block (photos) were in attendance.

Strolling through the streets of Berlin on an autumn evening, when the sky is inky black and streets lights reflect in the collecting puddles of water (amongst other liquids) on the pavement, you often come across flickers of neon lights; red, green, and blue as a door opens in your peripheral and the sound of muffled music spills out into the street. But it only lasts for a second before the door slowly closes back up, leaving nothing but a black façade. The people of Berlin are drawn to these lights like a moth to a flame. And for good reason; there’s normally a party.

Anyone who happened to be hanging around the alleyways down the side Warschauer Strasse on Sunday night may have just caught a glimpse of such lights as the doors to Astra Kulturhaus were opened for Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes. And if the beckoning lights and music didn’t catch your attention, well, there was a bloody great queue that snaked around the corner, so it was pretty obvious something was going on.

Pulling back the red freezer strips that hang from the ceiling and guard the entrance to Astra Kulturhaus, you’re greeted by a long hall with a relatively small stage. After a bit of tinkering with the instruments, Frank Carter’s ginger hair floated in the distance, taking centre stage while his Rattlesnakes dotted themselves around him. Electric osculation bounced off the walls from right to left as the band shuffled about on stage. An eager “1,2,3,4” was called from the crowd like a sprinter, buzzing with adrenaline, jumping the gun. The tension built and then Frank Carter himself decided that it was time for the show to start and shouted “1,2,3,4”, signalling the intro to the song My Town and the rest of the night.

The band started at 100 miles an hour. Flashing spotlights lit up each member at random like prizes on an 80’s games show as the Berlin crowd did their best to mimic an English accent during the lyrics “no one gives a fuck at all”. Shoulders rubbed against each other towards the front of the crowd and the fuse for an explosive show had been lit. While sometimes artists can take a bit of time to warm up to the show, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes went full pelt from the start.

It didn’t take Frank long at all to engage with the crowd on a more personal level, clambering over the barrier separating himself from the crowd to be hoisted into the air by his fans. While this is of course such a powerful image, to be held above the head of your adoring supporters, seeing Frank wobble back and forth, attempting to sing with a wide grin on his face, clearly loving every moment, perfectly captured something so endearing about the man himself. He has an almost happy-go-lucky personality, as opposed to an arrogant frontman who believes he deserves all his plaudits. Frank seemed to bath in the joy of the moment, not with a sense of indulgence, but with a sense of disbelief that this was even happening to him. He seemed genuinely grateful for this opportunity.

After finishing the track Rat Race in the arms of his fans, he pleaded “don’t send me back, I fucking want to go back to the stage,” before collapsing to the ground right in the middle of the crowd from where he spent the next few minutes performing the song Cobra Queen. There was an odd moment of calm in the venue as the concert-goers weren’t really sure what was happening before there was a push as people strived to get in amongst the action. Somewhere amidst this all, Frank made it back to the stage and continued with his energetic performance, along with his band who were on fine from. Which I’m sure was a big relief for the stage crew who had spent the last few minutes looking on with somewhat trepidation, praying to get the equipment back in one piece.

Halfway through the show, now shirtless with his tattooed body luminescent on stage, Frank addressed the crowd and created a woman only mosh pit for the song Wild Flowers to ensure a safe space for all. A crucial message that needs to be spread throughout the music scene. During the rest of the performance there were playful little interactions with the audience. At some point someone held up some keys as a bemused Frank asked “keys? What you on about? Can I just get through my set please!”, with a cheeky grin on his face. He was enjoying every moment.

The show came to a close with a wild performance of the tracks Drugs, Parasite, and Crowbar. But the band weren’t finished there. Before letting everyone leave, Frank made sure that everyone had helped put the show together got praise, from the light engineers to the venue staff and even the bus driver. All in all, this night showed everything that Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes are; a wild rock n roll band with a kind heart who fucking love doing what they do.

Thank you, Mr Carter and your limbless reptiles for making the trip into the cold November night worth it.

Please note: Use of these images in any form without permission is illegal. If you wish to use/purchase or licence any images please contact Svenja Block at blocksvenja@yahoo.com.

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New single THE DRUGS FT. JAMIE T is out now via AWAL.

More info about Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes on their                             website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

All words © Nick O’Leary. Find more of Nick’s writing at his author’s archive.

All photography © Svenja Block. You can find more of Svenja’s work at her Linktree , and at her author’s archive 

Source: louderthanwar.com