Cruising a monumental hype over the last year, Rat Boy have simply demolished any doubt people might have had to the rowdy foursome as they take on London’s Roundhouse.

Following an agonising power effort from Manchester four-piece Spring King, we are finally set for Rat Boy to throw one hell of a show. The fans are buzzing like crazy, already taking out a tremendous energy at the warm ups, and there seems to be nothing stopping these kids now.

No masks this time around, but Jordan Cardy sports some flamboyant sun glasses. The boys waste little time, diving straight into Turn Around Mate with an earning passion to sweep the whole crowd with them. The compact sound Rat Boy blast out is astonishing in it self, and with a teasing drag queen smeared with ‘Scum’ and those smashing melodies we’re of to a wicked start.

“Are you having a good time,” seems like a superfluous question at this point, the fans are beyond. Throwing back with Mixtape track Sportswear, the distinct hook has even the most held back dancer in a little twist. The guitar-work elevates the snappy melody and Harry Todd’s effort is commendable.

“Alright who’s ready for a new one. It’s called Everyday.” The track is just as energetic as the following, yet the hard-hitting drumtrack intertwined with Cardy’s punchy vocals gives a ballsy feel. In true Rat Boy style the tune carries an agenda, dragging bourgeoisie like Jeremy Kyle.

“Get on each other shoulders,” Jordan asks. “This is a love song, it’s called I’ll Be Waiting”. The slight take down and ballade-ish tone is out of the box for these boys. The slight 80’s influence gives a cheesy feel to the track, and though Jordan draws it out with an acoustic guitar, it doesn’t quite reach the level of their usually so energetic outlet. The dip in the vibe swiftly pass as Rat Boy hits up with recent hit track Revolution.

The post-apocalyptic landscape of the song intensifies in the rough setting of live play. “Well, this is a story not long ago. When the world got divided by what we vote”, Cardy sings in his characteristic manner, alluding to the devastating Post-Brexit feel. The bouncy bass line and raw guitar comes together in a staggering wall of compact sound.

“This one is called Knock Knock – can you move a bit on the side too,” as though this crowd needs to be asked to move. The smashing tune still causes the clusterfuck of a chaos, and as the boys hammer away in the same fast pace manner one can ask if the hurried play might over-run the musical quality at times?

“For this next song I want you all out to get your phones out with a torch”. Though the foursome brings Blur legend Graham Coxon onstage for the guitar-driven tune, Laidback might be just a tad too laid back for the impatient crowd’s liking. And even worse, it seems like half of them have no idea who Graham is. Picking it up with the sludgy opening of S.C.U.M. – Rat Boy‘s word of choice – the energy soars once again, and even a broken bass, “everything is broken”, can’t really restrain the power of the anthem to follow.

This gig is a monument for Rat Boy and the hold on to the moment with all they have as the encore draws on. Move’s clever irony is prominent as Cardy states: “You know I never say the same thing twice”, twice. For Fake ID the guys abandon their instruments in favour of a collective rap effort of reckless fun. The bouncy tune has a clearer sound than the previous. Rat Boy’s musical exploration seems to follow a ‘more is more’ principle, bringing in almost too many elements in the mix at times.

As we come to an end it seems as though the boys themselves are shy of closure, drawing on the last tune for an almost obscene amount of time. “Okay, one more time”, they plea, for probably the third time. Lucky they have a loyal following. Rat Boy are definitely laidback, cool, fun and high energy, however, when they take their foot off of the gas pedal it’s clear that their musical spectre is slightly shallow.

Photos: Lauren McDermott