Introducing: HandsomeRat

When the support acts for the upcoming Skinner Brothers Southampton and Scala gigs were announced, I was over the moon to see that HandsomeRat were on the billing, alongside The Cheap Thrills . Not just because the music was great (it is!) but also because the people behind the band seem like a stellar bunch. So, just as we did for Love Ghost and SAHAJi when they were the support acts on the 2025 tour, we thought we'd do a little introductory post for each of the bands (Jamey will follow this post up with her post on The Cheap Thrills in a day or two).

I've been familiar with HandsomeRat for around 18 months already, having gotten to know Patrick a little as we crossed paths in Instagram comments and DM's. Patrick really does seem like one of the genuine ones in this independent music game, much like Zac himself. He's the kind of person the SB Fam welcomes with open arms, so seems like a very natural fit on The Skinner Brothers lineup for both gigs! Also, the eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that a certain bass player whose name begins with K is heavily involved with this project. Not only as a bass player, but judging from Spotify credits, sometimes as composer, producer and lyricist too! That lad is a seriously busy bee.

Next week is certainly going to be a hectic one for HandsomeRat, as not only are they appearing alongside The Skinner Brothers at The Joiners and Scala, they also have what promises to be an exciting gig of their own lined up at The Snug in Manchester on Saturday 30th May (seemingly a legendary venue for grassroots music).

All being well, I'm hoping to be there myself. I sadly won't be at either the Scala or Southampton gigs, so having this to look forward to has eased my sorrow somewhat! There are still tickets available here if you fancy a great night out to round the weekend off nicely. It would be great to see some of the SB Fam there!

As seems to be happening more frequently of late, I'm struggling to define a single genre to describe the music of HandsomeRat. This isn't a bad thing at all, I welcome all genre defiant entities with open arms and glee!

If you haven't had the pleasure of listening to their music yet, I recommend you begin with the Mythical Horizons: Act 1 EP that was released just over a year ago.

There's really something for everyone in this EP - from joy to despair, energetic to ethereal and lots in-between. What they all have in common is that they're incredibly catchy songs. Not in an overworked, obvious pop industry way - rather in a way that sort of creeps up on you and catches you unaware, right up until you realise you've been tapping your foot and bobbing your head all the way through it.

I could wax lyrical for an age, but rather than having me waffling on in my usual fashion (which I'm pretty sure is far less interesting), I asked Patrick if he'd do a little Q and A for this post, and he graciously agreed. So without further ado, I'll hand you over to the lovely Patrick!

The Q and A

Can you tell us a little about the background of HandsomeRat? Where did it all start and who are the band members?

HandsomeRat’s core members are Patrick Hagans and Lee Hayton. We have been writing songs and involved musically together for 25 years and we are from Stretford, Manchester.

We started the HandsomeRat project around 2019, just as the latest vehicle to release songs, as we had not yet embraced the streaming-era.

We played our first gig as HandsomeRat in May 2023 and it's been a great ride in the subsequent three years. We have a rolling cast of friends that join us live. We have a section on handsomerat.com called Who Dat Rat where fans can see who everyone is and what gigs they played.

We are very fortunate to have talented friends who seem to enjoy being a part of the HandsomeRat world.

From our interactions on Instagram, I know you've been aware of The Skinner Brothers for quite some time, probably longer than I have! When and how did that connection first come about?

I had been aware of The Skinner Brothers since the Soul Boy 2 era as they were getting quite a lot of press and breaking out. I remember that we got a message from Zac on Insta and it was just saying that he liked (our song) In & Out of Love. We exchanged a couple of messages after that and kept in touch. We were delighted to be asked to do the shows this month supporting them.

I was so pleased to see you on the lineup for both Scala and the Southampton show! You have your own gig at The Snug lined up for two days after Scala too. I'm already feeling sorry for your energy levels after that, but we all know it's going to be worth it! What are you looking forward to the most about these gigs?

We are looking forward to being a part of such a great event at the Scala. We are aware of how the show sold out in 4 hours and what a big deal it is for the SB and the SB family so its amazing to be invited to be a part of it.

Also The Joiners in Southampton. Like lots of music geeks who like the details, I have seen the name of tour posters for the last 30 years so we cant wait to get there.

The Snug is an amazing venue. Its run by wonderful people and backed by the Music Venue Trust which makes it a huge deal for grassroots music in the North West region. We have played there before but this time we are headlining. It would be great to see any of the SB family who can make it to round off whats going to be a special week.

For people who have never heard your music before, how would you describe your sound?

It's guitar centred. It's melodic with accessible chorus’ that people seem to enjoy. Lots of people say its quite 90's which makes sense as that was the era we came out of as teenagers.

Apologies if this is a boring question for you, I'm sure you've heard it lots before. I'm going to ask it anyway though, because the answers always interest me. Who would you say are your main musical influences?

Like most musicians we like lots of everything but for me - I had brothers who were older than me so I was surrounded by a wide range of music, including the Acid House and Madchester eras. But the radio was a big thing for me and I have always been receptive to lots of genres.

Huge thanks to Patrick for taking the time (and at pretty short notice) to answer these questions for us. Hopefully it tells you a little about the people behind HandsomeRat and gets some of you discovering their music ahead of an epic gig week!

It's funny that Patrick says a lot of people mention the music reminds them of the 90's, because it reminds me a lot of music that was around in the 80's. I can't quite pinpoint exactly what, apart from maybe something vaguely New Wave ish. It's not an exact replica of anything I've heard before, far from it, but it is very reminiscent of that uniquely 80's sound. To my ears at least, you may disagree!

Either way, you all know how important it is to help independent artists spread the word. There's no big industry backing, just them and their passion for music. So please help them out by spreading the word with friends / family and across socials, as well as attending the gigs where you can.

It's an exciting time for music in this world of DIY right now, and I'm so glad to be a tiny part of it - I'm sure you all are too.

You can find HandsomeRat at their official website, Instagram and Facebook.

Their music is available on Spotify, Soundcloud, Amazon and Apple.