Men Of The Hour: Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes on 'Dark Rainbow'
Monday, 05 February 2024
Written by Jack Butler-Terry
Photo: Brian Rankin
In December 2017, Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes descended on London’s Brixton Academy for a night of celebration, playing every one of the 23 songs they had recorded together. When they were done, they fused the noise and sweat and chaos into a live album that could have felt like an ending. Except it wasn’t. Fast forward to today and they'd be needing a whole weekend to carry out the same feat. “We did a 23 song setlist in practice the other night and then did another 23 and it kicked the shit out of me,” Frank laughs. “My respect for Taylor Swift went through the roof.”
Speaking to Stereoboard on the day their fifth album ‘Dark Rainbow’ was released, Frank and his Rattlesnake in crime Dean Richardson have a far deeper pool of songs to fish from these days. “We have 61 now,” says Dean. “I wrote them all out and it's 61. Well, actually, it’s 62 because Juggernaut is song zero. Fuck, it keeps going up.”
That the duo have written, recorded and released 62 songs in just nine years is testament to their work rate, especially when you consider that Frank is a successful tattoo artist and painter, and Dean is a graphic designer, as well. Dean says: “We tend to shift quickly after each album but it's never something we put in the calendar. For ‘Dark Rainbow', it feels like a year of my life, but when you work it out, there’s a blurry year and then there’s a focused year. I say ‘blurry year’ because that's when we’re feeling it out and creeping into the process.”
“We don’t ever know what we are making,” Frank concurs. “Eventually, urgency increases and suddenly there’s a wave of motivation to record an album and for me it’s all-consuming. You can’t switch that off because it’s like a set window to get it done. And songs are like wild fucking animals: they can turn on you. But that’s what we live for — the creative studio hours. And not even when you're trying to record them, just when they’re being born. There's no feeling like it, to do this with someone you’ve grown with.”
Growth has been a huge theme for Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes across their five albums. Constantly evolving and shifting with the times, there's a clear path from the unbridled fury of ‘Blossom’ through to the personal turmoil that informed ‘Modern Ruin’ and the acceptance and reflection of ‘The End Of Suffering’. Then there’s the pissed-off-at-the-post-pandemic-world of ‘Sticky’. But with ‘Dark Rainbow', they chose to look at where they've been and where they can go, rather than where they are. Whether it's in the crooning of Man Of The Hour or the smooth balladry of A Dark Rainbow, Carter sounds wiser and more impressive than ever before.
And that sense of evolution resonates through everything they do. “We don't drink before shows now,” Frank reveals. “I moved into sobriety and asked the boys to do a dry tour and it went really well. We had such an enjoyment in the shows, and then I just thought, ‘How has that always been a possibility?’ We walk onto that stage so fierce now, there's a different energy. It was still fierce before, but it was fierce in an unhinged way. Now it's fierce and focused and there’s so much power in that.”
That power will soon be felt around the globe as they prepare to embark on their largest album launch tour to date. Starting in the UK, they'll move swiftly on to Europe, Australia and the USA and Canada before the end of May. “It's definitely our most cohesive tour to date, I'm just so excited,” Frank says. “There's so much going on in our lives with family and work and everything. But when we tour, that's just what we do. We play the show, have a great night and take care of ourselves. It's a beautiful thing to be able to do.”
“I like the touring feedback loop, too,” says Dean. “You can play a song that's been out for years and have a real moment with fans, but the kind of ‘news cycle’ of reaction and reviewing doesn't really suit album releases.”
“When you spend months putting an album together and then people can react instantly, it's a strange thing,” agrees Frank. “We don't make our albums to be reviewed instantly. They live with you and are designed to be a support. That's one of my gifts, I'd say. I'm really lucky to be able to articulate what people can’t that often. And it has been beautiful to read the responses this morning — everything has been commented on, lyrics, production, vocals — but in a month I want to hit everyone back up.”
So as the people who have spent the longest with these songs, do they have any clear cut favourites? “I do, yeah. Three, actually,” says Frank. “Can I guess them?” Dean asks, somewhat giddily. The relationship between the pair is undeniable and there's an unspoken communication that makes it feel like they're in each other's brains, finishing sentences and never speaking over one another, even as they dial into the call separately.
“Can I Take You Home?, Superstar and Sun Bright,” Dean says with a confidence you would only use with a best friend. Frank nods with a grin. “Yeah, and I'd say Queen Of Hearts, too. It changes most days to be honest,” he says. “But Can I Take You Home? was born of late nights playing an organ and just writing. Dean is an incredible musician, so I'm really proud that a piece of music that I wrote and played has made the album.”
Dean says: “Once I forgot which ones were hard to make and which ones were a joy, I enjoyed all of it. Superstar was a pleasure, I barely had to think about anything hard for that. It just happened.”
Five albums in and Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes show no signs of slowing any time soon. Speaking to Frank and Dean, it's clear that this isn't just a hobby for them. They do it for a deep love and appreciation of the music they make, the stories they tell and how that translates to fans. With 62 songs in their arsenal, Dean feels freaked out, but Frank says: “What did you think was gonna happen? I'm going for 1000.” You wouldn't want to bet against them making it, either.
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Tue February 06 2024 - CARDIFF Great Hall - Cardiff Uni
Wed February 07 2024 - BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
Fri February 09 2024 - MANCHESTER Manchester Academy
Sat February 10 2024 - NEWCASTLE Northumbria Uni SU - REDS
Sun February 11 2024 - GLASGOW Barrowland Ballroom
Tue February 13 2024 - LEEDS O2 Academy Leeds
Wed February 14 2024 - WOLVERHAMPTON Wulfrun at Halls
Thu February 15 2024 - LONDON Roundhouse
Fri February 16 2024 - LONDON Roundhouse
Fri March 01 2024 - SHEFFIELD Foundry
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