Artist: Ratboys

Venue: Patterns

Town: Brighton

Date: 9/9/26

Chicago indie-rock outfit Ratboys brought their cathartic, guitar-driven "When The Sun Explodes Tour" to Brighton’s iconic seafront basement, Patterns, delivering a masterclass in dynamic storytelling and alt-country-tinted rock.

Salarymen

They were ably supported by Salarymen an independent indie dream-pop, psych-disco duo from Sydney, Australia, consisting of musicians Renee de la Motte and Thomas Eagleton. They are known for their vintage 1960s/70s aesthetic and dual vocals.

Salarymen

Salarymen

Salarymen

Ratboys

Led by the magnetic, charming and positively quirky frontwoman Julia Steiner, the band launched into a setlist heavily anchoring their critically acclaimed catalog, balancing the driving rock energy of their latest era with the intimate, "post-country" roots that first gained them a cult following. Steiner’s vocals sometimes fought to break clear of the dense, heavy distortion of Dave Sagan’s brilliant guitar salvos. Songs like the emotionally heavy title track from The Window showcased the band's incredible ability to shift from a whisper to a roar in a matter of seconds, leaving the Brighton crowd totally enchanted.

Ratboys

Ratboys

Ratboys

Ratboys

Ratboys

With plenty of songs coming from their latest long player Singin' to an empty chair, an album dripping in nineties guitar riffs, when Female fronted bands were appearing every week. With a nod to bands like Madder Rose and Julianna Hatfield, I was reminded how much I love this sound. Ratboys have it all in the bag, no better evidenced than on "Black Earth" the last song which clocking in at about 8 minutes and seeming like it never wanted to cease with plenty of false endings and rebuilds, a wonder to listen to and a fitting finale.

Ratboys

Ratboys

Ratboys

Ratboys fan "Gruff"

Find out more about Ratboys

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Review and photos by Dan Reddick for Return To Sound