Swallow The Rat – Wine Cellar: September 8, 2023

Tāmaki Makaurau post-punk outfit Swallow the Rat, just back from a handful of shows in Naarm/Melbourne, and with a new album, South Locust, under the belt, were primed and full of promise for tonight’s show, the first show in a tactical tour of the upper Te Ika-a-Māui.

But before they could grace the stage (and I say stage with some trepidation, you’ll know what I mean if you’ve ever been to The wine Cellar), Swallow the Rat had enlisted the services of Scran and Tooms to set the scene in the comfortably full/filling bohemian cave.

Tooms

On first, with little fanfare, two-piece Tooms consisting of Dorian Noval on drums and Nich Cunningham on bass, who share vocals (but you likely knew this, unless you are the uninitiated), are still bathing in the reverence accorded their early 2022 album release Fake Teeth. This high-energy, guitarless twinset has been impacting the Aotearoa music scene since pre covid days, and in a short (end) set of heavy, dirty basslines and punk rock drumming, in an agit-prop manner, anthemed about dead cats, rats and (also) dead birds.

Tooms’ set was short, sharp, and to the point, no space was left to create a void for a third member, the duality of vocals played adversarial inside and outside of the songs, as they drove maniacally towards the final precipice. 

Scran

Recently (ish) formed, the first/last time I saw them was at the Whammy 2022 Xmas Party, which was their first show. Nine months on, they ‘borrowed’ a second guitarist for the night (as the ‘original was touring Japan, well that was what the dude from Swallow The Rat told me, maybe in jest?), a familiar face, but no name on the tip of my tongue (he did a magnificent job tonight).

Honestly, I remembered little from my first encounter, perhaps too much egg-nog, so like a virgin, Scran is a five-piece, twin guitar and twin vocals. While Tooms were one-dimensional (in a fucking good way) Scran flowed and waned between post-punk grievousness (Idles), modern Psychedelia (Brian Jonestown Massacre) and melodic contemporary Flying Nun alt-pop.  

From the opening and enticing groove in their opening song, through a set filled with melody, energy and finesse, the prescient and confident frontman (the non-guitar wielding one) with a widened vocal range, connected with the audience, as he switched between poetic and rant delivery.

The rhythmic relationship between bass and drums created the groove (aforementioned) which truly was exposed in the last couple of songs, deftly crafted narratives, crowd pleasers, that bode well for a briefly mentioned, forthcoming album. Scran are a band to watch out for.

Swallow The Rat

Quietly, guitarist Brian Purington, drummer/vocalist Hayden Fritchley, and bassist/vocalist Stephen Horsley mount the stage, and craned and smiled for the presence of the sound guy. Eventually he appeared and the finale began.

As does the band’s new album South Locust begin, with a wall of noise, so did Swallow The Rat’s set. Guitarist Brian Purington’s skillset is apparent from the beginning of Terra Nullius, and is further pointed as he uses a bottle of Cassel’s (great choice of craft beer imho) on his strings to distort and dement the wall. It’s followed quickly by the VERY EARLY Sonic Youth sounding Gravios Park, as Brian and Stephen create magic on their highly impressive array of floor pedals, and then, even quicker, drummer Hayden Fritchley takes over the vocal duties (from Stephen Horsley) on Chain Mail.

The shows in Naarm have focussed the band, as they move onto Mind, an intricate intro, that catches the crowds feet, the melody creates a euphoria, a groove you can easily dance (let’s not forget this is a post-punk crowd, swaying and foot tapping is predominant) a definite highlight already. Hayden Fritchley takes up the vocals again for Cave that features a hypnotic counterpunch between rhythm and vocals.

Like Mind, ZZK is an album highlight, it is a monster of a song, a post-punk anthem and again packed to the hilt with grooves and dance moves. The shift, the fast jump to Ideas of South, was likely not as smooth as the band would’ve liked, but Hayden Fritchley vocal uptake gives an appreciative attention swing within the band’s set tonight.

Brian Purington is still phenomenal on guitar. 

 

Redactor’s Dilemma is a return to the US-Post-Punk-Esque-Sound, and it is no-brainer why they chose it as one of the (digital) singles from South Locust to pre-announce it’s coming. It combines the band’s gentler side, with cleverly composed and delivered lyrics, and their signature wall of sound. Straight Roads truly shows off Stephen Horsley bass skills and vocal nounce as he meld together withHayden Fritchley’s drumming to create a swing, as Brian Purington get in on the action, there is a tumultuous meshing to end the song

Swallow The Rat ends the night with Other Rooms from their 7″ released last year, no Yuko Miyoshi (Memory Foam) tonight, but it is a pounding version that ends the night to calls for one more song, but no, Swallow The Rat know the drill, always leave the audience wanting more.

Simon Coffey

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Brenna Jo Gotje

Swallow The Rat:

Scran:

Tooms:

Swallow The Rat – Setlist:
Terra Nullius
Gravios Park
Chain Mail

Mind
Cave

Small Plates
Chromos (Leaving Room Album 2020)
ZZK
Idea of south

Redactor’s Dilemma
Straight Roads
Other Rooms (7” 2022)