Rotterdam’s Rats On Rafts are David Fagan, Arnoud Verheul, Natasha van Waardenburg and Mathijs Burgler.
You might say Rats and Rafts’ relationship with the past is complicated, especially as a band never too keen on looking back. The revered punk rock experimentalists still remain highly unconcerned with being called the harbingers of the quote unquote Dutch Invasion – an increasing number of refractory bands from The Netherlands making noise overseas.
The Rats’ proclivity for things eroded by the decay of time has remained a constant in their rigorous hands-on ethos. The Moon Is Big (2011), Tape Hiss (2015), and Excerpts Of Chapter 3: The Mind Runs A Net Of Rabbit Paths (2021) are truly gripping timestamps of a band refusing to give in to the supposed ‘progress of the world’ – first as hungry punk rock upstarts, then as fiery analogue recording dogmatists and psych-rock protagonists.
Known for their explosive live performances, they have toured across Europe and performed at festivals including Glastonbury, Eurosonic and Le Guess Who. They have also shared the stage with Pere Ubu, The Chills and The Nightingales. In 2019 they joined Franz Ferdinand on tour in Japan, playing to huge arenas across the country. In 2022 they revisited Excerpts from Chapter 3 with Visions Of Chapter 3 which included material recorded at TivoliVrendenburg as part of an interdisciplinary music film. They also collaborated with Dutch underground punk / brass ensemble De Kift with a playful re-visioning of each other’s music.
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