Introduction
Brighton based band The Rattlebacks formed in 2021 and quickly showcased that they were a band that people needed to pay attention to. The five-piece released debut album Sidewinder in 2024 bringing hard rock deliciousness with it!
Today we catch up with the bands rhythm guitarist Coxy to discuss all things Rattlebacks! Give the interview a read and don’t forget to follow them on their socials!
Interview
What was it like to form a band in the midst of a pandemic? Did that weird event help bring the band together or was it already in the works?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – Well the only advantage was that nobody else could do anything either. As a band we could still write the music that became Sidewinder, the problem was that our search for a singer was certainly limited as we couldn’t go out and watch other bands play.
That is how we came to find Josh, in the end, by going out shopping looking for the right guy, thank fuck we found him when we did, three years looking for a singer would be too much. We could swallow our search taking two and a half years but our heads were certainly starting to drop at that point. It will make the Netflix documentary a good one though.
You guys are from Brighton, are there any bands from the area that you look up to. And how is the music scene down there?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – I think there is a lot of music in Brighton and none of it has anything to do with Hard Rock at a grassroots level. I wouldn’t say we had any bands to look up to in that scene, we have never really perfectly fit in any scene as The Rattlebacks are a bit of this and a bit of that.
But we were trying to find bands with a similar energy and vibe that we could work with to put on a night with attitude. So Moth are a band we certainly admire, they put on a proper show and love to play with them. Same with CHUB who are also friends of ours who won Metal 2 The Masses last year.
Being a Quintet isn’t the most common lineup makeup, what benefits do you think this gives to your music? Also, can you introduce each of the band members and what instruments they play?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – I mean to us the five piece is the blueprint for a rock n roll band and at our roots that is what we are. But if you want to get into why a 5 and not a 4 then….
I know I am biased, but I think the world misses the dark art of the rhythm guitarist, not just for the fact then when a four piece goes into a solo live, the ass falls out of the song as suddenly there is no guitar behind the solo pushing it over the edge. To me the same can be applied through the whole song, without that second guitar the drive, swagger and the backbone is missing.
A good rhythm player ties the whole band together and it is not often you find a true rhythm player in a five piece, you normally have a really good lead guitarist and a failed lead guitarist, I personally love the idea of being that rock and that’s it. If it is good enough for Malcolm Young, it’s good enough for me.
Josh Clarke – Lead Vocals
Max Horn – Lead Guitar
Jack Cox – Rhythm Guitar
Jack Hollamby – Bass Guitar
Seth Markes – Drums
https://www.therattlebacks.co.uk/about
We would put you guys firmly in the hard rock category, with a splash of classic rock here and there. Where on the rock spectrum would you put yourselves? And does it matter to you what others describe your sound as?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – I would say I don’t think it matters but apparently it does…. When our producer Dave Holmes implied we were a metal band in the studio it put all our backs up…. I think that is what makes The Rattlebacks interesting. We label ourselves as a hard rock band, but a good hard rock band is made up of many subgenres.
Theres classic rock, hard rock, blues rock, funk rock, southern rock, grunge, doom, punk, heavy metal, alternative rock, stoner rock all in there, we just take it through the lens of “The Rattlebacks” and that is what make us, us.
Your debut album Sidewinder came out in 2024, what has the reception been like for it?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – I mean it’s all corvettes and cocaine the day after it was released… right? But that is of course not how it works, you have to build in the rock game so we have laid down a solid foundation. We have picked up an “Album of The Year” from Real Rock n’ Roll and a “Band of The Year” from Novacaine.
Been in more than a handful of printed magazines including Classic Rock and we have had a spin on Kerrang! Radio. So all in all it has been very successful for an independent release, but now we have to capitalize on that! As ever we want more, but that’s how it should be, you want your rock bands hungry otherwise it’s all a bit dull.
Would you be able to go into a little detail about Dementia Lounge, what is the song about?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – My Grandad had Alzheimer’s and my Grandma had Dementia so when we had this piece of music that Mr Hollamby introduced to the band, I was inspired to write something dark to fit with it. I wanted to put the listener in the head space of what it might be like to go through something like that without shying away from the brutality of it.
Although at points you might believe it to be theatrical and scary, but this is what it was like for me to witness when I was just a kid. The reception to this song has been great, it’s great to play live and I am very proud of how it all turned out.
There is plenty of snake imagery with the band, including both the band’s name and the debut album. What is it about snakes that you guys love so much?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – Well it’s important for any band to ensure that they firstly have a strong image and secondly start turning that image into a brand.
With a name like The Rattlebacks it only made sense to play on the rattlesnake similarity and from there it grew into an identity of its own. I mean, snakes are venomous, just like Josh’s ass after a few Stellas.
What would you say sets you apart from other bands, and is that something that came naturally or is it something you developed over time?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – We get asked this question a lot and unfortunately you’ve picked the band member with the most controversial take. Okay with what I am about to say I am not saying that The Rattlebacks are the answer, not for me to decide.
But we are fans of the hard rock genre first which is why The Rattlebacks exists because we were not hearing what we wanted to hear.
I don’t think bands are creating that spark or excitement as a rule in general. Perhaps I am a jaded musician but the number of bands I see that either just look at the floor when they play or do a set where all 12 of their songs sound the same is baffling.
I can only hope that we take a bit more pride in our song writing and deliver a performance that is worth people giving up their time. But ultimately, I hope that our passion, pride and determination to get somewhere is what sets us apart.
You can play your Dream gig, but it means never playing live again afterwards. Or you never get to play your dream gig but can play live forever. Which are you taking? And out of interest what is your dream gig?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – The headline at Download would be alright I suppose? I think we have agreed amongst ourselves that playing at Brixton Academy is a dream that is more achievable in the medium term. But to answer the question, playing live forever is the only answer. Otherwise I’d have to go to a lot of therapy…
If you could pick one song from your 2023 EP Kink to recommend to people, which song would it be and why?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – I reckon I’d go with Amon, I think that will be in our live set forever. It gets the crowd going, it’s a singalong chorus and it gets us going, so what more can you ask for!
Which song off your album would you say is the most under rated?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – Lazy Brian. I think it is more left field and slightly different in terms of the dynamic approach than the others.
It was the last song we added to the album before we hit the studio, it gave the album something different, it’s a playful riff. Max on the talk box mouthing “Brian” throughout the song will always be funny to me. It is important to not take ourselves so seriously all the time…
A witch curses the band, you have to choose feet for hands, or hands for feet , which are you choosing and why?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – Hands for feet as you can still play in The Rattlebacks with hands!
What can we expect from the band now that 2025 has ticked over?
World domination, I think? It is hard to tell where 2025 will take us, we have plans, things in the diary but where we are placed in the industry we need to be ready to react to opportunities. We want in on support tours and work towards festival opportunities.
We feel we are ready to make a jump now, but we can’t do that if we don’t get eyes on us. So if you see us on festival bills or on a support tour get ready, because there isn’t a band out there that is hungrier and more determined to prove a point than us.
Looking at your merch store, that Vinyl has an awesome design on it , loving the black and the red. Who came up with that idea?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – Our very own Max Horn took the lead on putting the album package together as a cohesive piece. We were all involved in making it what it was but Max made sure it was this awesome package. Black and red are our colours so there was no other option really!
Which festival in the world would you love to play and why?
The Rattlebacks (Coxy) – I think the dream now is to get on Maid In Stone, Stonedead, Call of The Wild. We need to get on those bills for 2026, because we want Download in 2027.
What different foods and drinks could the band not function without?.
The Rattlebacks (Coxy)
Josh – Stella, he likes chemicals. Double Espresso Starbucks shots.
Max – Monkey Shoulder and he loves a bottle of wine post show.
Jack – Nothing beats a bottled Bud, a pint of Guinness or a shot of Tequila.
Jack – Geralds Juice? You haven’t heard of it as it is brewed in a shed somewhere in Kent. Having tried it I can confirm Gerald should be on an attempted murder charge.
Seth– Protein Shake, a two liter bottle of water and recently has become a fan of Guinness? We are all very excited about that. Whatever it is, you can’t feed him after midnight…
All rights to the songs used in this interview are retained by The Rattlebacks. This site claims no rights over them. All images were provided by the band and their representation and are taken by Blackham Images.
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