Appearances can be deceiving. And when it comes to Battlesnake, seven Australians who perform wearing reptilian cleric costumes, it’s difficult to know what to expect.
Over the past few years, the band have performed to many surprised audiences in support of Kiss, the Smashing Pumpkins and Jane’s Addiction, as well as on international headline tours of their own.
“I remember walking out on stage at a massive arena, and it was silent,” recalls keytar player Billy O’Key. “I could literally hear people going: ‘What the fuck is this?’”
“It’s my favourite reaction. And then, throughout the set, we convert them,” guitarist Ben Frank adds.
With the release of their snappily titled third album Dawn Of The Exultants And The Hunt For The Shepherd, Battlesnake are continuing to proselytise the masses with a riotous riff-powered gospel that involves robot priests, great battles and even Jesus Christ’s long-lost twin.
At a Battlesnake gig, expect the unexpected
Masters of chaos, Battlesnake have perfected the art of riling their audiences. At most shows, you’ll find the band hanging from the ceiling, forgoing their costumes for skimpy underwear (or as they call them, ‘budgies’) and igniting some of the most manic mosh pits around. During last year’s European tour, their set was unexpectedly gatecrashed by one particularly “enthusiastic” audience member.
“In Birmingham, a ‘lovely’ elderly woman got on stage,” says O’Key. “It turns out she was actually screaming into the mic, yelling at everyone, trying to spread some anti-vaccine information. It really blew us all away!”
Venues are warned ahead when Battlesnake are coming to town.
Due to their penchant for jumping off stages and clambering over lighting rigs, venues are often warned of Battlesnake’s behaviour beforehand – and issue the band a swift deterrent before their set. “People literally send through specific documents to us now, because they know that’s part of what we do,” bassist Elliott Hitchcock says with a laugh.
During their appearance at Bearded Theory in 2024, O’Key faced some gnarly consequences after one rather ambitious jump from the stage, leaving him with a badly fractured ankle and an early fight home. Another time, the fire brigade were called when the CO2 canons set off a venue’s fire alarms.
Their fans love to dress up
Battlesnake fans love to sport their own costumes, too. The band are seeing a rise of gig-goers wearing full wizard outfits, dragons and knight-style body armour, looking as though they’ve just finished a game of Dungeons & Dragons.
“One of my favourite things to see as we’ve been playing more in Europe and the UK is supporters dressed in whatever character they are inspired by in the universe we’ve made,” says Hitchcock. One group of fans promised to wear chains, dressed as the dungeon witch from the 2024’s The Key Of Solomon video for the band’s performance at Download this summer.
The Bible is the most metal story ever told
Inspired by the vast worlds of The Lord Of The Rings and Dune, Battlesnake seek to enrich their music with similar levels of complex storytelling. To them, however, the “greatest” and “most metal” story ever created is the Bible, which they describe as the “ultimate battle of good versus evil”.
One of their favourite Biblical texts is Revelations, which recounts tales of “wicked creatures with multiple heads”. O’Key explains: “There’s so much depth to it, and so much lore surrounds everything. It’s a well of inspiration that you can draw endlessly from.”
Chaos is at the heart of their new album
Dawn Of The Exultants And The Hunt For The Shepherd is their most unrestrained and bombastic so far. Its frenzied riffs, huge percussion and nutty melodies reflect the unsteady mood of the band during its recording.
“At one point or another all members were going through a really tumultuous time emotionally,” O’Key says. “We thought we were never going to finish it, and I think we all just started throwing shit at the wall. It was a really wild time.”
They dream of bigger stage shows. And horses
Although they currently all still have ‘normal’ jobs, they are serious about their goal to make music their full-time occupation, and they’ve got many ideas on what they’d do with that success.
“The stage is set like a castle,” Frank muses, describing their vision for their future stage set-up. “And then at the centre is the drawbridge that opens up on the ground, and then we all ride out on horses, and some motorbikes as well.”
Dawn Of The Exultants And The Hunt For The Shepherd is out now.
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