The Louisiana, 25th June 2022
RAIDERS
I’m not sure where to start…
The constant expletive strewn barraging of those who were in attendance?
The headbutting of speakers?
The outspoken wishes for Boris Johnson’s family to die horrible in front of him?
The tale of trying to sink The Thekla by getting the whole crowd to run from one side of the boat to the other?
Maybe trying to crash through the ceiling of the Louie, by getting everyone up stairs to jump as one 
Raiders are solid f’ing gold, pure punk, pure outlandish entertainment.
And almost certainly born out of their natural time period… no, not punk of the late seventies … I mean these guys belong in circa 740AD and shoulda actually been raiding English coastal towns.
Strip all the bravado and bullishness back for a moment though and there is something deeper. As well as being deftly accomplished musicians the band tackle a wide range of societal issues. From the political to mens mental health, but delivered in a screaming, jumping, mic swinging way that is both terrifying & utterly captivating to watch.
The six song set is like knocking back six flaming Sambuca, whilst punching yourself in the face. It leaves the head spinning and is over so quickly you wonder what the hell just happened.
For me this was everything a proper punk band should be. It felt natural, not contrived like so many out there.
There was a genuine feeling of not having a f’ing clue what they might do next… and I’m pretty sure they didn’t either.
Pure, blissful chaos..
Genuinely can’t wait to catch these guys again.
The Bristol Nomad
RXPTRS
25th June 2022…
Remember this date, because it was the day that Rxptrs announced themselves on a national scale.
A band that have been simmering for two years boiled over at a sold out Louisiana. And launched debut album “Living Without Deaths Permission” into orbit.
We all know that The Louie is the birthplace of musical gods and last night felt as though Zeus himself sent a lightning bolt through the crowd.
From first note to last both band and crowd were on it. Rxptrs promised a party, but delivered so much more.
I’m still trying to get the boot prints off my baseball cap that got clipped so many times by a smiling sea of crowd surfers, which would later include the band themselves.
Pretty much the whole album got an airing. And non album favourites such as “Bound” received an equally rapturous reception.
This gig, this album launch cemented what many of us had known for sometime, Rxptrs are on another level to most of their peers. And now they have the ammunition to prove it.
Songs such as “Collapse”, “The Frail” and “Gutterflies” performed with such visceral emotion they threaten to drain a mere mortal, but the energy of the crowd channels directly into the veins of lead vocalist @roachagrxm who simply doesn’t let up.
By the time the million streamed “You, Me and the Devil Make Three” reaches its barnstorming crescendo the walls of The Louie are slick with sweat, band and crowd utterly spent. And the echoes of the night etched permanently into Legendary gig territory.
I’m sure if you venture into an empty Louisiana next week you’ll still hear the ghostly sounds as if 200 metalheads cried out in unison…. “This IS the year of the Rxptr”
The Bristol Nomad / @bristolnomad_gigphotography
