Battlesnake are a band that I first encountered in May of this year while doing photography at Bearded Theory. I had not heard a thing about them before the day they performed at the festival. However, there were whispers all over, of them being this bonkers band that were not to be missed, and so, won over by the hype train, my camera and I decided to go and take a look. I will tell you now, I may not have known about them before, but they are definitely not a band I will forget any time soon. Thursday would have bought with it a tough crowd to please, with rain, flooded areas, schedule changes, and mud a-plenty amongst some of the issues that Bearded faced, but for a little while all of that was forgotten.

They definitely planted themselves firmly on my radar that day.

It seems I wasn’t the only one won over by this Australian seven-piece. Back in September, Andrew Miller also had the chance to see Battlesnake. He also got to see them in a much drier environment, which is always a bonus! Supported by Passive Fix, Rooted and This Summit Fever on September 27, Battlesnake played a high-octane gig at The Flapper. Given this week’s news that Battlesnake have been announced as part of the line up for Download 2025, Andrew decided to look back at their Birmingham gig and relive his experience.

The Flapper – 27/09/24 – Battlesnake (With support from Passive Fix, Rooted & This Summit Fever)

– Andrew Miller (@rockofageshq)

Gig of the year? Gig of a life time? I’m going to come straight out and say something almost all in attendance that night would say – ‘We had no right to see a show of that calibre down at The Flapper’. Battlesnake played what felt like an arena show, and I have a new favourite live band.

Birmingham is credited with being the home of Heavy Metal and Battlesnake’s performance certainly felt like some sort of homecoming. A genuine heavy metal masterclass played out that night, all executed with a wry and appreciated sense of humour. I’ve written a note that reads: ‘HEY AUSTRALIA ARE YOU USING BATTLESNAKE? IF NOT – CAN WE HAVE THEM FOR A BIT? THANKS, BIRMINGHAM.’

From the Brutal ‘I am the Vomit’ and ‘Key of Solomon’, to the incredible riff that permeates through ‘Nightmare King’, to the irreverent ‘Pterodactyl Firehawk’ – which introduced a smattering of drum and bass to the mix and made me lose my mind entirely – the set went on… The riffs just kept coming. It was a brutal onslaught which was so entertaining to watch, it defied any expectations I have ever put on live music.

My only advice to you is to catch Battlesnake the next time they are near you. See it to believe it.

The mosh pits were crazy throughout the night, I ended up on my backside very early into proceedings (in fact, it happened during the supports) but that didn’t stop me dusting myself and getting back into the fray. I was, quite frankly, having the absolute time of my life enjoying the show, music, costumes and performance. All of it was peak and the crowd loved every second. Every time I glanced at someone in the crowd I got the ‘how awesome is this’ look beamed back at me.

I’m guessing those costumes are quite hot, because as the gig wore on, they ended up shedding them and basically running around in their pants playing the dankest heavy metal, with guitarists on the bass players shoulders, the keyboard player going nuts, and the singer belting out lyrics in peoples faces. All of this was playing out in the middle of the crowd, and because it’s The Flapper, there are no barriers, and very little separation. The whole thing descended to all-out chaos in the most entertaining way. Remarkably, they did not drop a note while doing all of this, adding to their already incredible Aura. What we were witnessing was undoubtably something else entirely – something from the beyond.

The only thing that shocks me is that Battlesnake aren’t bigger than they are. Having played SXSW and a growing number of festivals, including Bearded Theory in the UK, Battlesnake were playing shows at relatively small venues on their recent UK tour. Although it created an incredible experience and atmosphere to see them like this, it saddens me to see such talent not getting the recognition, and moreover, crowd, it deserves. I hope this is waiting for them in the future, truly I do. I managed to score a chat with them in the beer garden, and they are a great bunch of guys. I lose count of how many members are in the band – but the internet tells me they are a 7 piece in all… but with how they move around on stage it’s very easy to lose track!

In support, were three incredible local bands with Passive Fix leading the support slots. When you see a Saxophone on stage you never quite know what to expect, and Passive Fix genuinely surprised me with their mix of aggression and rhythm. They give their everything in performances. What they were doing got people engaged and moving, and continued the mosh pits started by Rooted, who were second to hit the stage.

Rooted brought a great punky grungy energy, with belters such as New God and Spiralling Out sending those in the crowd crashing into each other and really getting the moshing started, while Your Definition saw the band engage in some impressive crowd engagement to get us all kneeling like we were at a Slipknot gig – a very impressive command of an audience for such a relatively new band. Very entertaining to watch and definitely a band to watch out for.

Opening the night were powerful two piece This Summit Fever, who were very impressive, to say the least. Creating the kind of sound that two people alone should not be able to muster. I often wonder when I hear a two piece’s material whether it can be delivered on stage, and This Summit Fever most certainly can, with tunes like ‘Sometimes and Tidal Wave’ and ‘Messiah’ hitting hard. Looking forward to seeing this pairing again soon.

A truly incredible selection of bands were on display, a sincerely world class night of music that felt more like it should have been delivered across the road at the NIA rather than downstairs at The Flapper. Not to take anything away from The Flapper – there’s a reason that venue is so beloved and gigs like this certainly cement its status as one of the best in the city.

Remember folks – Keep Music Live, Keep Venues Open. Get out there and see the bands – you never know what you might see.

You can hear Battlesnake, Passive Fix, Rooted, This Summit Fever and much more on my radio show Rock of Ages, Wednesdays from 7pm (UK tIme) on brumradio.com

I’ve been your reporter in the field with a late submission

DJ Millabong