Hellcats making music they love
The hate music that tries to tell people what to think.
IF you love raw, natural, punk-inspired rock music, especially bands that kill the stage when performing live, you’re likely to love Hellcats.
Have you been to the Incubus concert at the Monument in Pretoria in February this year? How about the Seether concert at Emmarentia, Johannesburg, that took place in May?
Then you might remember Hellcats as one of the opening bands at both concerts.
Hellcats was established in August 2014 by two dudes, Alessandro Benigno who was 30 at the time, and Warwick Rautenbach who was 33. They decided it was high time to do what they loved – make music they love and to share with others.
They used to belong to a band called Cable-Stealing Gypsies but decided to start their own band and express themselves through the music they love. So far, this has worked out wonderfully for this new two-piece band, with more and more music lovers mentioning Hellcats during their conversation.
The RECORD/CHRONICLE/COURIER got to interview Warwick over the phone, get to know him better and ask him a few interesting questions about this miraculous new band. He was happy to share.
AR: Where are you two from?
WR: I am from Pretoria, but currently I live in Blairgowrie. Alessandro is from Edenvale.
AR: Have you been to Alberton before?
WR: Yeah, we’ve had a taste of Alberton before. We’ve already played at Sundowners three times.
AR: What did it feel like to be chosen as one of the opening bands for Incubus and Seether, two amazing world-renowned bands?
WR: Damn, it’s been a good year for us! We are such huge fans of Seether and Incubus and to open at their concerts was an amazing honour. We felt so awesome! And now, next year, we’re opening for The Cure as well – we are just beyond happy.
AR: Which bands inspire you the most, and which bands do you dream of performing with?
WR: Man, there are so many. I hardly know where to start. Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Beatles, Deep Purple… a lot of those 70s rock ‘n’ roll bands. We also love The White Stripes, Wolfmother, Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys and a bunch of others. If we could perform with any of those existing bands, it would be lekker.
AR: With you as the guitarist and Alessandro as the drummer and vocalist, don’t you two ever yearn for a bass-guitarist?
WR: A lot of people ask that question, actually. No, we’re happy as a two-piece band, because we understand each other and it’s just easier that way. Sometimes, though, we do have a guest bassist.
AR: What’s the biggest challenge for the band in general?
WR: Our music scene is not very strong at the moment, to be quite honest. There’s a lot of musical competition, but not as many people go to gigs anymore lately, as they did ten years ago. The support is low, and the numbers at gigs, unfortunately.
AR: What’s the most rewarding part for the band?
WR: That energy. We feed off of the crowd’s energy. We love that good, intense, lekker energy from the crowd when we perform. We’re all about good vibes, being cool with people and them being cool with us, and sharing good energy, man.
AR: What’s the biggest dream you have as a band?
WR: To play overseas, especially in Glastonbury, UK. I’ve been there previously, and the energy is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. We’d love to play for the Glastonbury crowd.
AR: What kind of music do you guys hate?
WR: We’re open-minded about music, in general. We just hate it when music tries to tell people what to think. You know, like the kind of music that is based on a formula so that more people would like it. We don’t do sell-out music at all.
AR: What’s your special message to readers and fans?
WR: Just be lekker with each other, man. Good vibes only, all the time. Be real, be you and don’t make time for bull and ego-boosting stuff. Just be lekker.
*Photographer: Laura McCullagh
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