Last night Rescue Rooms was transported to a chaotic whirlwind of warped electro-metal as Fat Dog proved their worth as one of the best live acts on the gig circuit today.
Formed in south London during lockdown, Fat Dog became known for their wild and hypnotic live performances well before the release of their first single King of the Slugs in 2023. Since then, the five piece have released four more singles this year, and their debut album WOOF, before being cast as one of BBC 6 Music's Artist of the Year. Just back from touring the USA and Canada, their Nottingham gig at Rescue Rooms was the fifth date on their mostly sold out UK tour.
In the family tree of music, if Depeche Mode and Rammstein had a lovechild, it would be Fat Dog. And yet, it is deliciously fresh. Sprinkled with Nine Inch Nails and a bit of Fontaines DC. The ferocious marching electronica mixed with psychedelic guitar has an energy and madness I'm increasingly enjoying seeing at live shows.
My first introduction was on the opening night of Boomtown Festival. On a friend’s recommendation I’d listened to WOOF a couple of times and the heavy, hypnotic 80s sound convinced me their live show would absolutely be a good one - if you are at a festival and need to transition from regular-person-of-the-world to feral-field-dancer, there are few better bands than Fat Dog to welcome you into a weekend of wild abandon.
The evening opened with TRUTHPASTE, a genre-blending five piece (or six if you count the drum machine) from Manchester, featuring a violinist, saxophone, guitar, bass, keyboard and vocals. Their sound is tricky to encapsulate, bringing elements of folk, jazz and pop with an earnest, quirky twist, which felt like a bit of an unexpected match for the main act. I could only find one of their tracks online for a relisten, but I feel like they would be a fun, whimsical treat to stumble across in a tea tent at a festival.
The room explodes into a stomping techno-goth swing. Violently red strobes paint lines above the crowd. It feels like the end of the world is about to begin.
The room becomes significantly more packed out as we waited for Fat Dog to take the stage, so much so that the audience is crammed right to the back bar. It seems like venues count every inch of space for a sold out gig these days and while I’m no stranger to squeezing into a crowd, there's a point when it just becomes uncomfortable. This is music to dance to, but there’s no chance of that unless you’re deep in the most pit at the front. Still, I hope this means we’ll be getting a main Rock City gig from this act next time they’re in town.
Fat Dog launch onto the stage with the surreal spoken word of WOOF opener Vigilante guiding the room into an ominous trance. “We are all just dogs” the voice concludes, before the room explodes into a stomping techno-goth swing. Violently red strobes paint lines above the crowd. It feels like the end of the world is about to begin.
Serendipitously, the next track is called Boomtown (perhaps inspired by the festival?) and this is where the joker card of the sleazy sax kicks in, driving the beautifully depraved and groovy element of Fat Dog’s sound. The next track, All The Same, is another dark race into the otherworld, and with barely a moment to breathe we are treated to the aforementioned debut single King of the Slugs, a wonderfully nihilistic and catchy anthem, but not the only earworm of the night. The set covers a fair bit of WOOF, with a few bonus extras, including Bad Dog, Skibidi, and Peace Song. Closing the show with a savage crescendo is 2024 single Running, which gives Prodigy vibes and feels almost psychotic.
After a brief departure the band return to the stage and a beautiful forgotten memory from Boomtown appears back in my head - a searing version of Satisfaction by Benny Benassi and The Biz that absolutely gives the original a run for its money and is the perfect closing encore.
Emerging from the venue, it feels like we just experienced some sort of very enjoyable nightmare. I’m a bit disappointed I only caught sight of the band once or twice (their dancing antics on stage at Boomtown were very fun) but their energy is infectious even from the back, and the lighting and sound were absolutely spot on. It’s early days for Fat Dog and I’ll be eagerly watching out for what they do next.
Fat Dog played Rescue Rooms on 12 November 2024
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