Hellcats: A Quick Introductory Interview

Who the hell are the Hellcats? It’s a fact that bands come and go. Some faster than your dusty tan and left over booze after Oppikoppi. But others stick around and blow your mind over and over again. Case in point, Hellcats.

These two Joburg guys, Alessandro Benigno (on drums and vocals) and Warwick Rautenbach (on guitar) have been klapping the living daylights out of fans around the country with their two piece, bare knuckle rock n roll outfit.

Have a listen to their track, “Black Wolf” below to get an idea of their sound…

I got the chance to chat with them (or someone with the same email address) and asked them a few questions, this was their response…

This year has been rather extraordinary for you guys. From playing at Rocking the Daisies to launching your EP entitled “Coffin Full of Hellcats”. Sheesh… Do you still remember your very first gig? It was at Arcade Empire right?

Of course we remember the first gig. It’s actually the reason we’re around. Alessandro and I had a grand total of 1 song to the Hellcats name when that gig got booked. Tanje Van Wyk at Arcade had somehow heard that Al and I were screwing around with a new project (Hellcats).

So she calls us up and goes, “you guys wanna play Arcade in 2 weeks?” We accepted and put down the phone and were like, “Shit, we better write some fucking songs”. We wrote 8 tracks in two weeks and pulled of a semi decent show, and that was it, Hellcats was a band.

To be honest we’ve just carried on that way since then, we still write songs like we’re falling off a moving train. It’s kind of sloppy, but it’s pure and real.

You guys jammed alongside some of the best local talent on Saturday at Park Acoustics. What were your expectations?

There were some great bands playing during the day, so we knew it was going to be rad beforehand. Our loins, however, were warmed at the thought of what was happening on the Bobbejaan stage. It was really going to be a taste of where music is going in SA. Some phenomenal rock-n-roll was happening right there after all.

Any pre-show rituals?

We like to spend time writing our set list and drawing a bunch of stupid shit all over it, like boobs and gravestones, but other than that we just like to listen to music at full tilt on the way to the gig, head banging, singing, swearing at the sky while shaking our fists, that type of kak.

If you could be the groupies of any band, who would it be?

Led Zeppelin. Obviously.

Complete this sentence. “What the hellcats are…..?

What the Hellcats are all you fucks still doing in my living room?

Would you rather change the band name to “Steve Hofmeyer Tribute Band” or own the rights to Kurt Darren’s “Kaptein”?

We would rather both of those people came out of the closet and start being true to themselves, for their own life’s sake.

If you’d like to hear more from the ‘tastic-two-some you can buy their album on iTunes, follow them on Facebook and Soundcloud, or go check them out live.

Watch this space for regular updates in the Music and Interviews category on Running Wolf’s Rant.