Incendiary English punk rock duo Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes are back with a new record titled ‘Sticky’. The band comprised of Frontman Frank Carter and co-founder and guitarist Dean Richardson have captivated audiences with their brand of spitfire hardcore rock since 2015. I interviewed the other half of the band Dean Richardson as he was prepping for his album release. You can read my interview with him below…
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Hi, Dean! How are you doing? Can How is life been treating you these days?
DEAN RICHARDSON: Life is treating me much better lately than it did for the past year or two. Same for us all. I feel incredibly grateful to have gotten through the pandemic relatively unscathed, and to be in a position where touring and releasing music is happening again.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Can you talk about your childhood and upbringing? How pivotal was music to you then? What were the artists/bands that shaped those early years?
DEAN RICHARDSON: My childhood was soundtracked by music. My Dad is an amazing guitarist and the biggest music fan I know. Everything we did had music on in the background, and we would spend most of our weekends asleep in the corner of pubs and bars whilst my Dad played shows in his band. As we got older, we’d go to those shows and watch them and I think that started shaping me as a musician.
(cont.): The stuff I connected too early was quite proggy, I loved Tubular Bells, War of The Worlds - things like that. Eventually that gave way to punk rock in my teens and I immersed myself in Green Day, Sum 41, The Offspring, NOFX. I’m lucky enough to have played shows with most of those punk heroes at this point!
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: In terms of the music that shaped your life. What was the first band or that you first became obsessed with? The one made you want to be a musician yourself.
DEAN RICHARDSON: Obsessed is hard to say, I was just into so much music. I’d go to multiple gigs a week and just wanted to be a part of it in any way. I drummed in bands, played guitars in others and made as much music at home as I could.
(cont.): I remember falling hard for My Chemical Romance though. I joined The Black Parade proper and seeing the world they had built both musically and creatively just drew me in. I love it when a record and a period of time in a band feels like a whole world, not just a set of songs.
‘Sticky’ album cover.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Let’s talk about ‘Sticky’. What was the recording and writing process like for this new record? Did you have a certain sound or concept going into the album sessions?
DEAN RICHARDSON: Before we make a record we just get together and write, without an agenda as such, then in time, usually a few songs in a sound or song will appear that will really get us excited. After that, we just relentlessly chase songs that feel right. So it kinda goes from 0 - 100.
(cont.): I produced this record which was a big shift in the process. It was partly because we had the time but also we knew exactly how we wanted it to sound. Capturing our live energy and putting it down on record can be tough, but doing it ourselves allowed us to keep adjusting our process to get that feel as close as we could.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: You guys have a lot of tattoos. Taking inspiration from ‘Sticky’ What lyric from the record do you think is most tattoo worthy?
DEAN RICHARDSON: Just get “STICKY”. Me and Frank are going to get it in Brighton in a couple of days.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What are most excited about for fans to hear on this record?
DEAN RICHARDSON: Bobby Gillespie’s vocals on “Original Sin”. That moment will stay with me as one of my favourite recording experiences, I feel so lucky to have had that and can’t wait for the world to hear it.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What does music and the craft of songwriting mean to you?
DEAN RICHARDSON: Music is the most incredible form of art to me. I think especially when made by a group of people, as is often the way, it leaves technicality and becomes a pure form of expression.
(cont.): I remember the first time I wrote a song, and the disbelief in me that I could, that having never been taught a thing about it, and I have never looked back since.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: This record features a lot of collaborations including some that are unexpected. Is there an artist you would love to still collaborate with that fans would be shocked to learn about?
DEAN RICHARDSON: I would love to get in the studio with Warren Ellis. When he is at his loudest and noisiest, he manages to retain a beauty that I am desperate to find in my own music.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What fictional character do you think would most identify with ‘Sticky’?
DEAN RICHARDSON: Deadpool.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: I would to end with a few lasts… Last thing I discovered about myself?
DEAN RICHARDSON: That I love playing shows more than I realized.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Last artist that blew my mind?
DEAN RICHARDSON: Lynks. Listen to the lyrics.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Last time I felt like a kid?
DEAN RICHARDSON: On stage at Leeds, and on stage most nights.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: And, the thing I do before I go on stage?
DEAN RICHARDSON: Pour water on my head. Gotta go out feeling mid-show.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Thanks for taking the time out! You can stream “Sticky” out now on all DSPs by clicking here or listening below!
