Blossom of punkrock in Ilosaarirock

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes @ Ilosaarirock, Joensuu 17.7.2016

This show was one of the main reasons to drag my butt to Ilosaarirock. I've been following Frank Carter's doings since I first saw his ex-band Gallows live in Luxembourg back in 2007 (holy shite almost ten years ago?!!). Rattlesnakes is definitely something all hardcore punk lovers should check out, because this band is the bomb. They played in Meteli tent and the place was literally still empty although the show was due to start in less than ten minutes. However, the gig was delayed by some technical problems and when I glanced at my surroundings again I saw that the tent was starting to fill up. It ought to have been totally packed as far as I'm concerned, but at least it didn't feel awkwardly empty anymore and people who were there were really excited.

The show finally kicked off with Juggernaut. I was a bit surprised by that because I didn't expect them to start off with a song I consider to be one of their biggest hits. With hindsight, it's a song that punches the air right out of you and thus a perfect showcase of this band's ferocity. It took a while for me to warm up to Trouble back in the day when it was released, but nowadays it's one of my favorites from the record and it was even better live. Just pure awesomeness. The crowd woke up during the song, people started to jump and pump their fists. Also, both Trouble and super catchy Devil inside me seemed to lure more random people into the tent. I can imagine that for someone who is not familiar with Rattlesnakes seeing a redhead blasting aggressive punk songs in a white floral suit must be a rather mind-boggling sight. I love the contrast it creates and how it manages to separate Rattlesnakes from the style of every other punkrock band.

Despite being fierce and savage, they want to make sure that everyone's having fun and most of all, safe. I don't really care for moshpits because you can never predict whether it's going to be full of violent pricks or not. I want to have a good time without braking any ribs, so that's why I usually just dance and bang my head by myself and avoid the pit. There was an attempt at a circle pit, but someone fell down and people failed to pick the person up so Frank turned the whole thing upside down and urged people to form the slowest circle pit in Finland, hahah. It was funny to see how people tried to stay calm and collected while a fast-paced song was playing in the background. But yeah, as someone who enjoys hardcore punk but is often turned off by the indifferent and way too aggressive attitude at gigs, I have to applaud this band for putting respect and safety first and making sure everyone's enjoying themselves. Cheers!

I was anxiously waiting for Fangs because it's my number one favorite from the album and gosh how awesome it was! Totally A+. Another special moment was experienced when Frank came down into the audience and told everyone to sit down while he sung Beautiful death. The story behind the song is very touching and I loved how deeply everyone concentrated on the song and listened to it. What an absolutely beautiful and peaceful moment in the middle of a hectic and loud music festival. The gig was finished with I hate you, which is a great song for letting out steam when you're pissed off! Even if I wasn't feeling too aggressive I thoroughly enjoyed shouting the lyrics out loud, it was oddly satisfying. The gig felt annoyingly short, but I'm glad this country got a taste of their insanity. I could have rocked with this lot until the morning, their explosive live energy is electrifying. Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes truly stand out from their genre and I hope they will continue to flourish. // YYKAAHOOVEE

- juoksepoistytto