Ratso: Live in Otautahi (digital outlets)

 |   |  1 min read

Loose End
Ratso: Live in Otautahi (digital outlets)

A friend – who has been worshipping at the church of Auckland garageband rock'n'rollers Ratso dozens of time – and I (a more recent convert) agreed on something important about this band.

That of all the offshoots of the wonderful D4 – Jimmy Christmas' Luger Boa and bassist Dion Lunadon's solo albums or with A Place to Bury Strangers – Rasto, with D4 bassist Jake (now on guitar) are far and away the best.

They nail down great, rowdy three minute pre-punk dirty-arse rock'n'roll with shouty choruses.

It's impossible not to be moved by the universal truths they deal in: “shut your face”; “arseholes and bullshit”; “I don't know what I want, you don't know what I need” . . .

Live they are a thrilling mix of tight and disciplined playing with intense hard rock guitar solos from Tomi, drum thunder (Alex), booming bass (Bruno) and shouty vocals (Johnny and Jake).

And this comes with a chaotic delivery where anyone within a few feet of the stage should probably wear a crash helmet. Or a jester's tricorn hat.

They are enormous good fun and on their launch of this debut album in Auckland they dressed like a glam band reduced to the box of discarded dress-ups in an op shop.

They enjoy themselves as much as their audience.

And in a world of seriously po-faced artists who come on like they're doing us a favour with their melancholy songs, Ratso just shake the walls, rattle your brain, rearrange the furniture, plough into the crowd and send everyone home happy.

You need to experience them live, but until that day this album – Johnny on “tambourine and hi-jinks” – recorded in Christchurch will give you all the clues you need to what they deliver.

Light touchpaper and stand well clear.

Or get up close to the explosion.

.

You can hear and buy this album at bandcamp here

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   Music at Elsewhere articles index

White Denim: Fits (Inertia)

White Denim: Fits (Inertia)

This three-piece from Austin were everywhere in the UK media when they were touring while I was in England and Scotland in the middle of the year -- and I kept missing them. And the more I read the... > Read more

The Lemon Twigs: Songs for the General Public (4AD/digital outlets)

The Lemon Twigs: Songs for the General Public (4AD/digital outlets)

The debut album Do Hollywood by New York brothers Michael and Brian D'Addario created a buzz in hip circles but in truth it was an uneven affair. And as we noted at the time it was a lot of parts... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

TOM JONES: GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME, CONSIDERED (1967): Here come the other people

TOM JONES: GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME, CONSIDERED (1967): Here come the other people

Anyone who digs through the bins of cheap records at op shops or secondhand stores “just in case” knows this: the careers of Nana Mouskouri, Des O'Connor, Ivan Rebroff, Harry Secombe,... > Read more

Michael Houstoun: Brahms Complete Intermezzi (Rattle/digital outlets)

Michael Houstoun: Brahms Complete Intermezzi (Rattle/digital outlets)

Elsewhere freely concedes it doesn't know a lot about the music of Johann Sebastian Brahms, the man who wrote the opera Fanny's Cosy Tutu (it's in Italian so don't worry, no one else understands it... > Read more