Big Cat Chic's opening song has a cool Morricone spaghetti western riff which is backed by chugging guitars and bass. The female vocals add to the gothic vibe, making for a decent first impression. The vocals on the second track are more reminiscent of Polly Styrene and therefore give it a X Ray Spex feel. The music often has a rockabilly feel, only a little dirtier sounding. There is a big '90s alt rock influence too. The final track has a cool, throbbing post-punk bass line. They sound a bit too loose when they play fast, which is something you'd see on DIY punk bills up and down the country, and it is at points such as these when they struggle to fill the venue soundwise. Still pretty decent though.
A tape of Gregorian chanting plays whilst Battlesnake take to the stage. Dressed in studded robes, they look ridiculous but that sums them up because they take trad metal and make it ludicrous, theatrical and fun. 'Motor Steeple' is like a camp, comedy Judas Priest but still rocks. 'I Am The Vomit' is pretty ace too. 'The Rotten Priest' is like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's more metal output. The mid-section is seriously heavy and Sam Frank hits some amazing Rob Halford style high notes. The ending of 'Pterodactyl Firehawk' is surprisingly complex and it really rocks. 'Alpha & Omega' is more progressive, in a Dio-era Rainbow style. Sam speaking tongues during 'I Speak Tongues' is absolutely hilarious. This is a real SHOW and every band member plays their part in making it riotously entertaining. The band play kneeling amongst the audience (who are doing the same) whilst Sam surmonizes during 'Motorgut' in a manner similar to Vincent Price on 'Thriller'. 'The Battlesnake' has a doomy riff not dissimilar to Metallica's 'Sad But True'. The end sequence of 'The Key Of Solomon' positively thrashes. The crowd's singing of the latter's guitar riff (with only a little prompting) is very Maiden-esque. They finish with a killer cover of 'Let There Be Rock' (well, they are Australian). I hope they get some festival slots in the Summer (they were actually confirmed as playing Download a couple of days ago) because they are a band that I would back to win anyone over live. Tremendous fun.
Battlesnake *****
Big Cat Chic ***
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