Ratcat Official

RATCAT - THE HISTORY

Being a career (& story) not without its fair share of the proverbial 'ups & downs', RATCAT formed via a group of friends from the northern suburbs of Sydney morphing from previous band incarnations all having been influenced & involved in the local punk & post punk scenes predominant across Australia during the mid 1980's. Performing shows in many of the well known inner city & suburban venues (existing at that time), it was also a time when similar shows and events were regularly happening in backyards, on harbour cruises and disused spaces.

Releasing a handful of self funded singles, an acclaimed self titled EP & the debut album 'This Nightmare' via Waterfront Records between 1987 through to 1989, RATCAT's steady rise in popularity was in part the result of public radio nationwide embracing the band as well as a healthy dose of touring including with notables (& heroes) from the time such as The Buzzcocks, The Ramones, The Cramps, Violent Femmes, Public Image LTD, Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, The Wonderstuff, The Psychedelic Furs, Swervedriver, Pop Will Eat Itself & many more.

As the momentum gained pace, RATCAT then signed to INXS's newly created indie rooArt Records & released the then ground breaking 'Tingles' EP in 1990 which - & with no fanfare whatsoever - made a steady climb to the top of the ARIA National Top Forty over a period of 7 months, eventually reaching the coveted ARIA charts number 1 spot in May of 1991 ... & much to the band's surprise & shock at the time!. 'Tingles' thereafter scored the accolade of becoming the highest selling EP of that year. Featuring the 'sleeper' hit 'That Ain't Bad' (& with the original video featuring one of the first 'acting' performances for current international star, Naomi Watts), it was a bizarre & heady period completely unexpected by RATCAT.

The subsequent 1991 release of the 'Blind Love' album resulted in yet another (although this time immediate) number 1 ARIA album chart position and again, to the complete surprise of the band members and all involved at the time, RATCAT also scored a coinciding duel number one with the single 'Don't Go Now' (Aria singles charts). History writes that RATCAT were the first Australian independent act to have achieved coinciding National Top 40 #1 album & single chart positions. The touring was relentless (including with INXS on their 'X Factor' arena tour) and culminated in a huge Australian stadium tour whereby they invited the (then) new UK shoegaze sensations, RIDE, to support them - an arrangement that was reciprocated by RIDE in the UK.

As the RATCAT phenomenon began to reach hysterical proportions on home turf, they then packed their bags and moved to London - using this new home as a base to tour the world for the next year. Although the RATCAT story could continue for many paragraphs, their success was mirrored internationally by Nirvana nine months later, and despite Nirvana scoring the international accolades, the impact RATCAThad on the Australia music scene in the early '90s remains historically significant and undeniable.

Being at the forefront of an international musical change of direction that witnessed the boundaries between the independent and commercial sectors literally smashed to oblivion, RATCAT's incredible rise to popularity was the result of public demand, and with virtually no mass label marketing (at the time).

Fast forward to now - A generation & more has passed since those carefree & chaotic beginnings; & of course 3 decades since the release of 'Blind Love'. Although they don't perform regularly these days, RATCAT perform the odd occasional special show and festival much to the delight of fans old and new. 2023 will also see the release of their latest audio slice 'All Stripped Back' - the first in 22 years since the release of the 'Twisted Tails' compilation. Being two years in the making, 'All Stripped Back' features a selection of classic Ratcat tracks reworked and reconstruncted acoustic style - 10 songs featured via the limited edition yellow coloured vinyl version and 12 songs via limited edition CD and streaming platforms.