Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes have announced that they are taking a hiatus.
The frontman broke the news on Instagram earlier this morning (October 4), confirming that the line-up will take an extended break from working on any new material after completing their upcoming run of live shows.
“Nine years, five Albums, hundreds of stages shared all over the world and our songs sung with each and every one of you. It is with sadness we announce that The Rattlesnakes are taking a hiatus,” the post began, showing a handwritten note from the members. “From the deepest lows to highest highs, in grief in anger and in joy, our band has been a celebration of being alive no matter the circumstances.”
They continued: “We want to send our love and thanks to the band – Gareth [Grover], Tank [Tom Barclay], Elliot [Russell] & Mitch [Thomas Mitchener]. It’s been a privilege to share the stage with some of the best musicians we know.
“So please join us all in celebration of the songs that changed our lives. Our UK and European Tour will go ahead and we look forward to seeing you all on the dancefloor.”
The band shared their debut album ‘Blossom’ in 2015, and this was followed up by ‘Modern Ruin’ in 2017, ‘End Of Suffering’ in 2019, and ‘Sticky’ in 2021.
Their latest release arrived at the start of this year, in the form of January’s ‘Dark Rainbow’. The members began teasing the project at the end of last year, sharing singles from the tracklist including ‘Bramble‘, ‘Man Of The Hour’, and ‘Self Love’.
Following the record’s release, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes headed out on their biggest tour to date. Starting in February it saw them make their way through the UK and Europe, before venturing over to Australia and the US.
They also played a huge number of festival slots throughout the summer, including a huge set at Download 2024. Following their set, Frank Carter caught up with NME about how he and The Rattlesnakes have always wanted to encourage new artists and support local music spaces with their music.
“It’s important for me to support grassroots venues, always,” he said. “Now though, it’s most prevalent because they’ve been so let down by the government. There is no funding for arts. No funding for the places where arts happen. Not only are those spaces important for entertainment, influencing younger musicians and giving a new generation of bands a place to go, but they’re also important for communities.”
He continued: “For me, it’s very important to support grassroots venues […] because in those spaces are the younger generations of punk rock musicians. It’s a place for anyone who has something to say about how disenfranchised they are with the world.”
Since then, Carter has been on the road with the Sex Pistols acting as frontman while they’ve been playing their classic album ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ in its entirety.
The gigs started off as a handful of shows at Bush Hall in London – a venue chosen after the space came under threat when its owners revealed that it needed to raise £42,000 through crowdfunding to prevent it from losing its ability to host music.
After huge success though, they announced a run of UK tour dates, which saw them play in bigger venues across the country.
Later this month, the band will continue their scheduled run of UK and European shows. These kick off on October 15 with an opening night in Brighton, followed by a stop in London. From there, gigs in Italy, France, Denmark, The Netherlands and more are planned. Find remaining tickets here.
