Hailing from New Orleans, USA, metal/hardcore outfit BRAT have landed on our shores for a UK tour in support of their new album, Manslayer, released via Prosthetic Records on 25 September 2026. This marks the end of their UK tour before they head off on a European run supporting British grindcore legends Napalm Death, alongside Master and Goatburner!
We caught their show at The Black Heart, Camden, where they were joined by “blackened rave” group Pretty Addicted and Brighton-based death metallers Smouldering Tomb.
Pretty Addicted opened the evening with their Satanic-tinged blend of electronica, drum and bass and black metal. Frontwoman Vicious Precious dominated the stage with her larger-than-life presence! There's something ironic about a band encouraging us all to “Fuck all Abrahamic religions”, only to follow it up with “Hail Satan”, but we'll overlook that... With minimal equipment and just two members, the band still brought the noise, getting the crowd suitably warmed up and ready for more!
Smouldering Tomb skipped the theatrics, launching straight into their set without any preamble. Pure death metal, delivered with minimal kit and maximum impact! Their vocalist’s voice took this listener straight back to their teenage years, hearing Arch Enemy for the first time and thinking, “Wait, women can DO THAT?!” Her vocals were excellent, and the band’s music hit us like a wall of sound, in the best possible way. The musicianship from every member was superb, delivering a crushingly heavy set. Smouldering Tomb had the crowd moshing and thoroughly warmed up in time for BRAT's arrival!
We hope Liz Selfish recovers from her English cold soon! Vocal support came from the guitarist throughout the set, who did an admirable job of filling in. Looking like a Barbie who’d stepped straight out of the Matrix, Selfish had tremendous stage presence, dancing and whipping the crowd into a frenzy! Kicking off with ‘Botchtox’ from their new album, Manslayer, they also threw in some crowd favourites, including ‘Blood Diamond’, and got a circle pit going for ‘Manslayer (Hell Hath No Fury)’. The crowd was incredibly responsive, especially for a midweek gig, with moshing taking place throughout all three sets.
The vibe was surprisingly playful for a death metal gig, with samples of ‘Everytime We Touch’ by Cascada and ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’ by Shania Twain serving as intros to some of the songs. It made for a bit of sonic whiplash, in the best possible way! Their sound blends grindcore, hardcore, relentless thrash and death metal with a distinctly feminist edge, creating something they've coined ‘Bimboviolence’.
Our only complaint would be that each set was relatively short, averaging around 20–30 minutes. However, for a Wednesday evening, it was the perfect taster of all three acts, in an excellent venue. The future of death metal is female and we can’t wait to hear more!