The Big Untidy Magazine

Battlekat exude an urgency and untamed exuberance that instantly draws people a step closer to the stage as they pummel through set opener Sweet Ass Battlekat. Whilst their Myspace demo tracks are great enough, they don’t prepare you for the buzz, squeak and scratch of this live outpouring. There are reference points that you could cast in their direction, like the art-punk clatter of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the grainy doo wop trash of Blondie circa ‘76  or the low rent pop charms of The Long Blondes, but none of these stick for very long, as they spiral off into glam stomp moments, anthemic power-pop or angular tribal shriekouts. In truth Battlekat are one of those rare creations that pop from the garage womb both fully formed and distinctly original.

The boys in the band offer fine characterisations for this manga-cartoon world – Ryan D’Lion all new wave guitar hero, Walter the Clown slumping to the stage with stoner bass man understatement and Dan Smith the fey barbarian thumping out a heartbeat behind.

Minnie meanwhile comes on like a chanteuse from Bladerunner - complete with chrome swim-suit - her vocals both neurotically insistent and semi-conversational, like she’s trying to make a point that you’re just not getting. Occasionally you want to say “run that past me again”, but you really wouldn’t dare. This approach is emphasised by regular assaults on the audience, stepping up face to face with some terrified innocent to yelp in their face or stare them out. In the midst of these histrionics she’ll suddenly make animated fish noises or petulantly stomp her glitter-red heels on the spot for a while like some sugar-rushing diva.

What truly sets the band apart from many of their style conscious peers though are songs that drill in to your subconscious and hum in to your inner ear for days to come relentlessly tugging a smile to your lips and injecting a spring to your step. More accomplished than any gaggle so young has a right to be, their self-description as simply punk belies an intuition for pop hooks and street-trash attitude for which the likes of Pink would gladly chew off their own nose. The best of these is probably set closer Madame Lapin which starts with a demented Disney rabbit refrain before tumbling into a gothabilly rumble that jeers on Minnies’ catfight taunts and sarchy jibes - “nobody likes you babe, least of all me” – ouch!

A few days after the show I caught up with the band by mail to get the low-down from Planet Battlekat...

GJ - One of the things I found great about the band was that it was hard to pinpoint any obvious musical influences - do you have any, or is it more manga and Bladerunner that inspires the sound?

Battlekat - Lil bit of Bladerunner, a lot of manga but mostly vast quantities of sugar and E numbers.

 GJ - You're pretty confrontational with the audience at times - do you set out to scare?

Battlekat - well there isn’t much to say about that apart from; of course, on angry nights Min, the throat of Battlekat physically mauls unsuspecting chubby, balding men!

 GJ - What is the Battlekat world domination plan for 2007?

Battlekat - I think its time the band starts recording some truly unearthly sounds to unleash upon the globe. Invasion of earth begins 01 01 07 00:00!!!!!! well need a massive galleon!

 GJ - If someone made an Anime movie of the band talk me through the characters of each member..

Battlekat - Its obvious that Min would have to be the female version of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: one minute quiet and polite, the next loud, aggressive and purposely invading your personal space!
Walter the bass clown would be constantly pissed off and wouldn’t really have much to say apart from 'AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!!'
Ryan D'Lion (guitar) would just be gay and say the inappropriate thing all the time.

So there you have it! In a world where vacuous terrace chants can wow stadiums and the shallow pilfering of 80’s synth-pop can make a pack of mainstream music journos swoon it would be tragedy indeed if the smart and sassy Battlekat graphic novella didn’t end in superhero triumph.