'Hagridden' displays righteous anger and punk energy on this release via Venn Records
Formed in 2015, Bratakus consists of two sisters (Brèagha Cuinn on guitar and vocals, Onnagh Cuinn on bass and vocals) who are based just outside a small whisky village in Tomintoul, in the Highlands of Scotland. The BBC once described them as “The most remote band in the UK”, but this small location detail has certainly not held them back. They have racked up gigs all over the UK and beyond, and have even had the pleasure to perform in Japan. They have also supported the likes of Propagandhi, Bis and Discharge on their travels too, so you can’t sniff at that.
The creation of this album hasn’t exactly been plain sailing. The first attempt at recording it saw the fruits of the band’s efforts vanish before their eyes in a freak laptop incident. “We decided to call the album ‘Hagridden‘ before we’d even recorded it. It’s been a bit of a self-fullfilling prophecy because so many barriers came up when we were trying to get it recorded and released, that it turned into a bit of a nightmare. The next album might be called ‘Smooth Sailing‘ to avoid cursing ourselves again“ says Brèagha with a large intake of breath. That was three years ago, and Bratakus have thankfully re-recorded those songs, with the new ‘Hagridden‘ album the result.
This will be the band’s first album on Venn Records which is run by Laurent ‘Lags’ Barnard of ‘Gallows‘ fame. It’s a label that has put out material by Bob Vylan and Hi-Vis amongst others, so Bratakus are undoubtedly a welcome addition to the label’s roster. The album is due to drop on February 13th, so be sure to keep your eyes and ears peeled.
Next up is another single release from the album called ‘Turnstile‘, where they sing about being patronised by their male peers, who are inadvertently surprised at how a powerful a female punk duo can sound. (“Would you tell me if I was a boy, that you didn’t expect such a big voice?”). This is another worthy statement from a band that know how to create a catchy song with a killer guitar riff to complement it.
‘Real Men Eat Meat‘ is an animal rights song with a sarcastic title. It’s also a subject that isn’t sung about enough nowadays, to my mind. These lyrics equate masculinity with the murder of animals, and question why even today, the killing of an animal can define a so-called ‘real man’ in the eyes of some in our society. The song is played at a breakneck pace, and the vocals are full of anger.
This is followed by ‘Hypocritical‘, which challenges the sincerity of certain people within the music scene who invade your personal space. Brèagha angrily sings about the offender’s “arm around my shoulder” and her disdain at him “spitting your words into my face”. ‘Worth it’ questions our actions in a more personal way, where “exploitation never ends.”
‘Tokened‘ is another single from the album, a mid-tempo number with a nice crunchy bassline. It tackles the subject of feeling token-ised by people, who think that just by including a female band on a gig bill, it is enough to justify their involvement in the feminist struggle, when in actual fact, the problem is much vaster than that. It’s also about rightfully wanting to be on a level playing field with every other band, regardless of gender:
This album closes with ‘Cut Us’, which I imagine is about the dillution of rebellious thought and/or music culture by the mainstream, leaving us with a safe product that is no longer a threat anymore. The tune is a mean sounding one, and is right up my alley. ‘Hagridden‘ is an excellent 10-track album that will be well worth your time, especially if you like your angry melodic punk rock with some substance. I know I do!
Out on Feb 13th, you can order your copy of the album and pre-save the stream HERE
Catch Bratakus live at one of their upcoming gigs :
18/02/26 – Supersonic, Paris (France)
19/02/26 – The Grace, London
20/02/26 – The Exchange, Bristol
21/02/26 – Star & Garter, Manchester
29/02/26 – McChuills, Glasgow
20/04 – Blauer Salon, Tubingen
24/04 – Music Match Festival, Dresden
22/04 – Tiko, Erfurt
25/04 – Urban Spree, Berlin
23/04 – Nbl, Leipzig
26/04 – Molotow, Hamburg
5/06 – Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes (with UK Subs)
8-11/07 – 2000 Trees Festival, Withington, near Cheltenham
14/11 – Core Festival, Glasgow
Main Photo Credit: LEE LEWIS
1. Final Girls
2. Turnstile
3. Real Men Eat Meat
4. Hypocritical
5. Worth It
6. Tokened
7. Tonight
8. Behave
9. Drowning
10. Cut Us
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I have been writing reviews for Brighton & Hove News, and more recently Vive Le Rock magazine for a few years now. Previously, I could be spotted playing drums for many a band over the decades. A noisy habit developed whilst wearing short trousers at school, and one that has had me touring around the UK and Europe. Punk rock is my life, but I am also quite eclectic. I am an avid gig go-er and music devourer, and can feel out of sorts if a gig date is not on the horizon. I have also been known to put gigs on myself in order to fill those gaps.
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