Odious Rat are an alternative band from Manchester, whose eclectic, gritty and diverse music, ignites the nerve system of post-punk and connects the wires of punk, funk metal, thrash metal, celtic rock, speed metal and neo-psychedelia with a third wave ska, dub, grunge and surf-punk. Comprised of Damian Browne on bass and vocals, Bartek Piwonski on guitar backing vocals, Liam Banville on guitar and backing vocals, and Keith Willocks on drums and backing vocals, Odious Rat are a force of nature whose debut EP Kiss Like Cyanide, is a spin of homegrown heritage and exotic escapades. Think Pixies, Metalica, The Specials, Thin Lizzy, Public Image Ltd having a jam in an open festival, swigging a few pints, then you get a glimpse of the band’s signature sound.
Through the tracks: 1) Heading For The Sinners, 2) She Stole My Ride and 3) Porton Down, Kiss Like Cyanide, grabs you by the jugular, filling you with sense of spirited solidarity, that chants from the terraces, stomps in the Mosh Pit and sings from the gut. It’s a fantastic EP that travels the hills of sub-genres, whilst staying true to its post-punk roots. Lyrically direct, and laced with humour, Kiss Like Cyanide is an instant like, an adrenaline spike of abrasive riffs, jangly strums and bolstering basslines, that angle-grind through the sonic sewers of urban decay.
Along with the raw vocals, Kiss Like Cyanide goes back to the basics of DIY punk, adopting a combatant spirit rooted in independence, anarchy and free-thinking. It’s an EP that hallmarks Odious Rat as a band to look out for, that fly the flag for all the principled punks out there and reinforces the notion that music is forever free-flowing, experimental and without one single path. What’s great about Odious Rat is their in-depth musical lineage that doesn’t define them, but instead gives them a pathway to branch out and evolve. Along with their brilliant sell out gigs, Odious Rat are a band worth checking out, and whose EP “Kiss Like Cyanide”, has been selected as the Manc Review’s “EP of the Week”.
Released on 31st July 2026, “Kiss Like Cyanide” is available via Bandcamp and all digital platforms.