Pub punk trio RATSALAD turn up the heat for Kalbarri Open Air Festival
Fresh off their debut Euro tour, Geraldton pub punk trio RATSALAD have found international success with a string of sold-out shows, with the band also winning four WA Music Awards, including Punk/Hardcore Song of the Year in 2023. RATSALAD are set to perform alongside Amberdown, Kimura, Beth Chia Music and more at Kalbarri Open Air Festival at Kalbarri Oval on Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2, with tickets on sale now. NATASHA PAUL sat down with RATSALAD to find out more about their upcoming performance at Kalbarri Open Air Festival, new music in 2026, and their favourite place to perform live.
Congratulations on playing at Kalbarri Open Air Festival this year! You guys started out jamming in a kitchen in Geraldton and are now playing on huge festival stages! How does that feel?
Thank you! We’re still jamming in the same kitchen as we did in 2019, but now we get to take these beers we brewed up in the kitchen out on the road, which is surreal. It feels bloody awesome, and we’re so grateful. In the early years, it was just us and our neighbours being subjected to our music! Big stages are amazing; so much more room to run around and not hit the oven.
There’s an epic lineup hitting the Kalbarri Open Air Festival stage with you this year. Who else are you most looking forward to seeing perform at the festival?
Kimura put on a hell of a show. Them, definitely. Also, SevenHurtz are awesome; the touring they’ve done over the decades shows. Beth Chia is also a friend and an amazing singer. Some pretty awesome variety in it.
You guys have been teasing new music for 2026! Can fans expect some setlist surprises for the upcoming show?
We are releasing new songs leading up to KOA. I think we may even be releasing one the night before called North West Coastal Highway, about the time Jaz pissed her pants on the highway and accidentally flashed an old lady. You can expect that at KOA. The song, I mean, not the pant-pissing.
You guys are no strangers to the festival circuit, with upcoming shows this year at Freak Valley Festival, SBAM Fest, Relâche Festival and more! What makes Kalbarri Open Air Festival an especially exciting festival to perform at?
If you’ve ever been to Kalbarri, you’ll know how special that place is. It’s not uncommon for people to pull in to fuel up their cars and then stay for twenty years. The location itself, but also the community and love that the KOA crowd brings!
How would you describe your show to someone who’s never seen RATSALAD perform live before?
We rip between songs with minimal time between; Jaz busts a few tricks on stage, and we swap our instruments a bit. Also, we play all our recorded material about 20 bpm quicker than the recorded version. Also, if it’s anything like last time we hit the KOA stage, a good bit of crowd surfing!
Thanks so much for chatting with us! Last question—where is your favourite place to perform? Have you had any particularly enjoyable or memorable shows?
Well, we don’t have many rules in RATSALAD, but one that we do have is to never turn down a gig in Kalbarri. Our drummer Erica is from Kalbarri, and we will take any chance to get back! We love playing in Germany for the crowds, beer and bratwurst. You never know what you’re in for over there! Once we played a gig in a German classroom that taught English-speaking lessons. We arrived during the day to bump in, and the office admin looked at us like we had two heads; we were sure we were at the wrong place. Then at night, local punks packed it out, and it went off. All the backline and PA equipment was from the Soviet-era USSR and in Russian, and we had to work it out ourselves. It was fun and scary. We also love playing in Scarborough.
RATSALAD hit Kalbarri Open Air Festival at Kalbarri Oval on Friday, May 1, and Saturday, May 2, 2026. Tickets are on sale now from humanitix.com
