Rat Boy
“I’m bored of people making comparisons, jumping the gun - people need to learn to just have a bit of fun”, Rat Boy, AKA Chelmsford sort-of-newcomer Jordan Cardy sings on Get Over It. Returning to the Waterfront almost a year to the day since his last Norwich headline, reparation is very much the name of the game. Where twelve months ago his reputation was mired in piss taking and endless comparisons to the likes of Jamie T (of which this reviewer is more than guilty… soz Jordan) tonight’s show is a fully-formed beast, Cardy taking the helm to deliver Oasis meets Beastie Boys levels of grungey madness.
The set comprises mostly of unreleased material, an obscure fact given that this tour was billed as promotion for Cardy’s debut album (which to date remains unreleased and unannounced). But the fan favourites are all here, and the energetic, young crowd show their adoration through relentless jumping and screaming. It seems more than a little ingenuous to hear a 20-something decked in gold chains and Burberry clothing singing about GCSEs and keeping his room tidy, but Cardy’s madcap-scumbag-meets-Gallagher swagger gives the ‘from the streets’ aesthetic an extra level of believability.
The madness hits its pinnacle during debut single Sign On, with the rowdy moshpits reaching wider and wider, before teenage bodies come cascading down in a mess of sweat and illegally purchased alcohol. Loud, bratty and in your face, Rat Boy’s un-subsiding popularity shows that the kids might just stand a chance.
