RATSALAD named Geraldton’s best at Battle of the Bands competition

Geraldton band RATSALAD has proved again they have the right ingredients on stage, after winning the city’s Battle of the Bands competition on Sunday. In total, 10 bands took to the Queens Park Theatre stage, rocking out in front of a crowd of about 250 and showcasing their talents. A mix of classic rock hits, along with some original songs impressed the crowd across the four-hour show, which was supported by Rio Tinto. RATSALAD took to the stage last, and blew the judges away with their songs Fade Away, Crush Me Like A Can, and Anaphylaxis. The punk band was awarded first prize of $2000. Other award winners crowned on the day were Extra Virgin Olive Oil winning the best youth band category. Best original song went to the Remnants, while the best musician went to Mark Kowald. RATSALAD Lead guitarist Ken McCartney said the win was a surreal moment for him and the band, including his bassist and singer wife Jaz McCartney and Erica Trotter on drums. “We were incredibly stoked and surprised to win, it was a real big honour for us because we really love the Geraldton music community,” he said. “We grew up going to these sorts of events as kids, so it was a real special thing for us to play at it and a full circle moment to win it ourselves.” RATSALAD has come a long way since their start in 2019, having opened for rock royalty Eskimo Joe last year, as well as performing pre-game at the Fremantle Dockers AFLW pride round. However, McCartney felt the Battle of the Bands win was right up there in terms of crowning achievements. “There’s such a talented pool of bands and musos, we’re really proud of it,” he said. “It’s still super important to us that we’re able to play an all ages gig in Geraldton because we think it’s really important. “We want Geraldton kids wanting to go to gigs and I think it’s good to get out of the pubs and into a theatre and play for a really diverse crowd.” McCartney said the future of the Geraldton music industry is bright. “The acts that we played alongside were tremendous,” he said. “To see the young artists coming up, there’s a lot to look forward to.” RATSALAD will be performing some local gigs as well as ones in Perth, before heading east to perform their first Melbourne show in December. They hope to keep releasing new music to Spotify, and are hoping to play some shows overseas in the future.