Frank Carter picks his greatest frontmen and women of all time
The punk icon selects Nick Cave, Iggy Pop and more
Frank Carter, of Gallows, Pure Love and most recently Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes, is one of the most enigmatic, energetic and terrifying frontmen to grace these modern times.
So who better to ask about music history’s greatest and most stylish leaders than this tattooed, often-covered-in-blood force of nature who wears a floral Gucci suit to jump into a crowd of thousands?
Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes new album Modern Ruin is released 20 January
Nick Cave
“Everything Nick Cave does is made and executed with a passion and focus that is hard to match. Watching him prowl around the stage delivering lines from Red Right Hand to people in the audience as if they were poison arrows was an amazing experience, and watching him play live changed the way I felt about performing.”
Jenny Beth – Savages
“If you have never seen Savages play live then you can’t understand what true wild power is. She performs as if her life depends on it, and at times during her set it’s as though she is transcending and whipped back down from the stars like she’s realised she has unfinished business. Terrifying and life-affirming, one of my favourite modern performers to watch.”
Simon Neil – Biffy Clyro
“Easily one of the most important modern rock bands performing today. Definition of hard work and music as a lifesaver. I have watched Biffy Clyro grow from playing tiny shows in London, to seeing them play to 15 people on the Warped Tour in the USA, to headlining Reading & Leeds and selling out arenas all over the world. Absolute fireball of a persona on stage and off stage the most calm and humble gentleman you could ever hope to meet.”
Jason Williamson – Sleaford Mods
“You ever want to see someone singing from the fucking heart, then Jason Williamson is the one to watch. There are no smoke and mirrors, no big production to hide behind. Just truly impassioned, violently explosive rhetoric that makes you feel like punching a civil servant in the face.”
David Bowie
“I have no idea what to write here to explain the importance of the creative output of this absolute genius. He was and will forever be one of the most important parts of modern music the world has ever seen.”
Laura Jane Grace – Against Me!
“Dedicated and steadfastly fearless in her beliefs, LJG is a wrecking ball of wisdom and justice all wrapped up in black denim, eyeliner and pure punk rock. An incredible writer and songwriter, I feel pretty lucky to be alive at the same time as her and to be able to witness everything she is doing in using her platform to play killer rock songs and discuss important topics that the rest of society is eagerly trying to hide away from.”
Iggy Pop
“Iggy is my favourite frontman of all time. He has an arsenal of classic punk rock songs that are stripped back and primed for destruction and, somehow, he is still delivering performances that are as incendiary as he was in the Seventies.”
Matt Caughthran – The Bronx
“I’ve been lucky enough to tour with the Bronx multiple times in my life and in doing so I think they are the band I have seen play the most in my life. Matt is not only the funniest frontman, but he tackles a crowd like it’s a 20-foot wave that he NEEDS to surf. It’s amazing to watch and their shows are a volcanic eruption of good vibes and great songs. It would be remiss of me to say it’s entirely down to Matt, because the vibes are born from the stage…but Matt is like a one-man rescue mission carrying those vibes literally all over the venue until every single person in the room feels like they are a part of the show.”
