Cassyette: “Touring with Frank Carter was huge… it became a big learning curve”

It never hurts to dive into the deep end once in a while. It’s a life lesson that Cassyette (born Cassy Brooking), has taken in her stride over the past year, after she joined Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes on stage for their Download Festival headline slot at 2021’s pilot event. This debut performance of their fiery, moshpit-inducing collaborative single ‘Off With His Head’ marked Cassyette’s first-ever festival appearance – and it took place on the main stage, no less.

“I was so nervous, I nearly started crying before I went on stage,” the London artist recalls of the experience. “But Frank [Carter] is so sweet, and he has this special way of calming you down. He is a very calm person when he’s not performing. I was really shitting myself before [I went on stage], and he was like, ‘Don’t worry, you’ve got this!’

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Speaking to NME at The Great Escape in Brighton, Cassyette describes the performance as “such a rush, as so many people were there. I’d never seen anything like it before. It was amazing and I’ll never forget it.” Almost 12 months on, she and Carter have remained close friends and collaborators, having toured across the UK and Ireland together throughout November last year.

Of hitting the road with Carter and his band, Cassyette says: “Going on the Frank Carter tour was huge, as I’d never played venues like that before. It was really overwhelming at first, as I feel like I was really socially awkward after lockdown, but it became a big learning curve. It was such an amazing experience.”

The heavy rock vocalist is currently preparing to air new material throughout a summer stacked with huge shows, including Slam Dunk Festival and an opening slot for My Chemical Romance. She adds: “I feel like I’m always learning as I go, as I’m getting better as a performer. It’s also interesting how much faster I am able to translate songs to a live setting now when I’m learning them. I rehearsed a new song recently and managed to do it in one; it felt really good, and showed me how far you can come with practice.”

Watch our full interview with Cassyette at The Great Escape 2022 above