The Walkmen - The Rat (Live on David Letterman)

[aidilishak1]

this band used to take me through the worst years of my life. thank you. - Aidil ,Singapore.

[reddevil70]

chuuuune !!! not bad for yanks........ getting more like BRITISH bands which can only be good !!  carl in scarborough. ENGLAND

[atom7676]

cool version of that song

[idadickman]

damn. awesome song. but i feel bad for the crash cymbal. ouch.

[stryhnbas]

roskilde!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[IlliniJake]

focus should have been on the drummer the entire time...crazy stuff.

[TheDanooch]

i love this fuckers voice

[SecretRivalsUK]

There are no words! .......jaw gapes

[joemusiclover]

o:54...looks like the guys havin a wank!

[linkaiser]

one of the best

[adamkubiw]

most underrated band of all time

[watsaschiller]

You've got a nerve uploading this video with shitty audio quality

[nortryk]

kayso, if i am 61 yrs old and think they are awesome, does that mean they suck?

[jassonite]

@nortryk LOL!!! Wish you were my dad....

[nortryk]

@jassonite errr - i am all grinning here on account of the great compliment! - carry on, yeah?!

[realcheesylogin]

that's some fucking awful audio

[Afrohaidara]

dude looks like tall dane cook

[nimalimakln]

Share your ideas with single mom naneedj.info

[Hoobtastic]

they sound a lot like the strokes

[redhanddan]

@Hoobtastic Please don't ever compare The Walkmen with The Strokes, they are both my favorite bands number 1 and 2 respectively but they have nothing in common other than they both came from N.Y.

[canalysis1]

@redhanddan They are actually from washington dc

[redhanddan]

@canalysis1 Hahaha yes!! I'm glad you caught that because as i reread it right now, i just remembered that as well. At least i know you were a big fan as well. People tend to forget that as i just did as well. But they did move out to N.Y. when they got big, and they were actually apart of the big three N.Y. bands (Strokes, Interpol, & Walkmen).

[canalysis1]

@redhanddan Yes indeed, i went to high school with them, still know them today, uncompromising musical vision.

[redhanddan]

@canalysis1 Can we seriously be friends and then you take me to meet them? lol haha

[tmf945]

Sweet creeping Jesus, these fuckers suck

[sir23joe]

@tmf945 you're an idiot

[danny1369]

Boy these guys suck and I'm an astute mofo. Bring back mclusky.

[DemascoNY]

the audio on this video is cruddy as hell, but awesome performance nonetheless

[weedPLUSmeEQUALShigh]

the drums should be louder :)

[Lugak14]

gotta dig the giant chunk out of the cymbal. The drummer's an absolute beast and going on Letterman with a broken cymbal just solidifies that fact.

[22hka]

Do the band members often switch instrument? In this performence the bass player (don't know his name) plays the bass, but in the video (the new year - live at juans basement, seach for it) he plays the keybord. Does anybody know the reason for this or is there no reason and they just like it that way?

[graysomers]

@22hka they keyboardist and bassist actually switched instruments for some reason right after this. i liked it better this wa for some reason

[vicprobey]

He should probably just cut off his non functional right arm,

[12345thestrokes]

i am in love with the lead signer. so much anger into the lyrics and his performance <3

[GoggiP]

vocally and lyrically INsane!!



[dlrjr3000]

brilliant.

[JustABSide]

Fuck I love Ham. This may just be his best vocal performance ever.

[zeta451]

play this song off the album as loud as possible once a week

[sfkforever]

the drummer just f'n kills it!!!!

[cubbies4e]

One of the best rock songs. Period. 

[darkvina]

pure sex

[lamame]

it looks like his vein is about to pop out of his...great song and great performance

[carlo88moe]

(back in time, 5 years ago)

When i used to go out, I heard this song everywhere id go

Now i hear this alone, if i hearrrrr it at all

anyone agree???

lol, good times bak then tho

[kingoftherodeo04]

the drummer is insaneee! the walkmen is in my top 10 bands!

[pstargalaxy]

screaming is cool

[dancassidy3]

the singer is soooo cute i luv him

[4NrAGS]

damn this band is the shit. and so is this song. it's like, perfect for any occasion and stuff. I'm high right now listening to it and yup it's pretty cool. I'm sober and it's cool. I'm pissed off and it's cool. my ex tries to call me sometimes I get blue then I put this on after I hang up on her ass and it's cool too. haha. word up.

[brookin]

The power exerted in this song is beyond the words I have to offer....................

[AlphaMoonBase1]

This song makes me do stuff, it energises me, motivates me, gets my blood pumping. 3 minutes of awesome.

[davidg7691]

I loved this song when i heard it on the album...but wow this performance just takes it to another level emotionally. Surely one of the best songs of the last decade.

[eric02125]

saw them open for Kings of Leon...SOLD from the minute they walked onstage!

[lazyatthedisco]

@eric02125 they opened for KOL? should be the other way around, no justice in this world

[puffalobill]

top top tune from a band ive only just heard about. a song thatll live long in the memory.

[Spizike237]

If you're new to The Walkmen, first of all, hell yeah, and secondly, go to their online store. Holiday sales on everything!

[Thrashslashedmashedp]

Heard the song from 'Zombie invasion on mulberry street' when the woman bits the guy's tongue out in the toilet.

Decent song. Drumming of the klaxons and I always get an interpol feel to them/Joy division.

[peace0eight]

love it

[TheHappydead]

the killers are the stupid mans walkmen

[alexjoeluke]

best live performance ever.

[sarmiento2008]

great drummer!!

great band.

[TheBlackWelshman]

you and me is one of the most overlooked underrated records of the decade... this is one of the best rock n' roll songs of all time. i do not hesitate on either of these and i'm a pretty astute motherfucker

[CMHworaven]

a pretty astute motherfucker eh? I don't know, aparently your a)black and b) a welshman

( don't take it personally only poking fun [: )

I agree that the Walkman are underrated but I do also really enjoy Everyone Who Pretended and You & Me

[TheBlackWelshman]

haha, i am actually a Caucasian American. scottish/welsh ancestors. hey, i like your page! we should exchange new music listenings. i might actually add some videos to mine for you, check idd out girlfriend. btw, i turn 21 friday if you want to get a drink sometime. ;)

[JustABSide]

@TheBlackWelshman This is from Bows + Arrows.

[fohawk31]

@TheBlackWelshman Okay they are good, but all time?

[visiocomb]

You're spot on mate..

John Peel was wrong when he said (last 25 years) it was teenage kicks.. he should have heard this..

[AHarmlessBlackMan]

@TheBlackWelshman I agree but this is from "Bows And Arrows" fyi

[JustABSide]

@TheBlackWelshman This is from Bows & Arrows, if you didn't know.

[SkirtSoPlain]

@TheBlackWelshman You are correct on all counts.

[coleodin]

"When i used to go out, i'd know everyone i saw... now i go out alone, if i go out at all..."

great fucking lyric...

[pioneer96]

i know

[natschavez]

@coleodin fucking right on.

[Diedje007]

@coleodin but not the best lyric ever, that's: My love life was getting so bland,

There are only so many ways I can make love with my hand - Blink 182 (M&M's) :D

[weswally1]

I remember the first time I heard this song come on TV back in like 04' or whatever, and I filmed it on my VCR and got all my friends to come over during school hours and we watched it. Good memories, great song!

[BasterMates]

ohh but KOL rocked the shit out of that place

[TR33T0P03]

I love The Walkmen AND The Strokes.

....they definitely do not sound like The Killers...lol The Killers....

[TR33T0P03]

You replied to the wrong person, but I disagree.

The Killers...meh. Don't care much for them.

The Walkmen and The Strokes are AMAZING and are not beneath KOL. I don't really like KOL's new stuff to be quite honest.....I loved Aha Shake Heartbreak. I wish they did more stuff like that.

The fact that The Walkmen opened up for Kings of Leon has nothing to do with their "quality"...whatever that means...To say that you didn't like them is another thing.

[Vdrums13000]

I love this band because of the passion of the singers voice, it reminds me a little of Roger Daughtry. But more of in "In the new year" when he yells.

[gallitofox]

q poca q hayan quitado el video oficial

[moosemuncher]

heard kings of leon are touring with these guys. i kinda like them. this is the first time i've heard them, they remind me of the killers a little bit.

[lasfinisimas]

the killers??? well I must be deaf or something cause I dont get it

[niggerfacejew]

they kinda have their own style different from all the other bands and definitely not anything like the killers

[stereodoor]

good shit. dude looks like he could be dane cook's little brother tho, which is kind of off-putting.

[Vdrums13000]

He looks more like Nick Swardson which is kinda cool.

[Swervehead]

If the Strokes are saviors of Rock...then we're all fucked!!!! Guess I better start buying Toby Keith records. Completely forgot about them until the guitarist sold a pair of strings at Guitar Center !!!!

[papajrls]

these guys are good very good... but the strokes are the freaking saviors of rock and roll they picked up were velvet underground left off and were at that time no one, and i mean no one could touch. so don't even!

[Mick342]

That dudes like the next KEITH MOON!!!

[gasgas270]

best song ever made

[austinw678]

are you kidding? these guys kill The strokes, the strokes freakin suck

[N00DL313]

whoa they sound pretty good live

[NMillar917]

i usually prefer uk bands being from the uk myself but when this came out i played it all the fuckin time. great tune

[Crede06]

They did sound pretty good on Conan last night. I do agree that live performances on TV often don't sound good. Fans shouldn't judge a band based on that though.

[EspyerAZ]

Can anyone say.... DRUMS!!!

[Nandube]

Amazing sound. Lennie3000, thanks for the good quality video. I got to know this band from my loved "The OC". You can see a couple of performances of them on the first season.

[lavsmate]

fuckin world class

[ososessy]

they sound just like the fucking strokes..same kind of singing style..even the way he holds the mic.

[scottmmmm]

What because he has a New-York accent and they are a band? They don't sound all that similar really. They have a different style altogether (a much beter one in my opinion).

[drubie67]

the strokes are weak next to these guys

[SoloNapoleon]

they don't even fucking compare to the strokes

[dakpowers]

Yeah, as far as sucking goes, the Strokes have it down, the Walkmen can't compare!

[BenGibbard10]

The Walkmen are good an everything but how can you say the Strokes suck? all 3 of the strokes albums have been flawless from start to finish. The Walkmen have some quality songs but a lot of it sounds like filler for the album or like theyre trying way too hard to make each song have some sort of screwy rythm to it

[HelloOsakaGoodbye]

fuck em' both, they're all elitist assholes pretending to be underground.

ensue thumbs down

[VelvetRazz]

Hey everybody me and some friends are going to portland oregon to see beach house and the walkmen, does anybody know if there are any other bands playing the night before or if there is anywhere we should visit? please let me know we are coming from texas so we want to make the best of it!

[skmetalhead16]

that guitar player must jack off alot

[jogocown]

hahahhahahaha

[jstow01]

I love this performance but I just noticed how weak the bass playing is.

[boatynoh]

It's funny to see and hear something hit that hard and have it contrasted with the obligatory studio audience clap...like they just saw someone make their dog catch a tennis ball real good.

[candyandy5000]

Just great music. went to high school and played baseball with hamilton and am really happy for the whole group.

[utubecansuckit]

What a weird coincident that interpol is in the related videos, because i would never have discovered the walkmen if it werent for the interpol room on soulseek along time ago (wich had about 3 members) The moderator shared about 200 interpol videos and ONE other video, The Walkmen - The Rat (Live on David Letterman) I sat in my room with my headphones and watch repeatedly, just like now except the coffe is missing, it's 3 am here in sweden but fuck it im gonna go make some

[AllahisaJew]

Brilliant. I wish I was hardcore enough to stay up and watch David Letterman.

[joeDevils]

ne1 know where their from?class!!

[FarCryss]

Great vid. They're fucking awesome live.

[NINF4]

I revisit this video often and an blown away every time. One of the most riveting lives performances I have ever seen.

[xconspiringhopex]

Strokes vs. Walkmen...... wait, who are the Strokes? I seem to have forgetten them for good after hearing these guys.

[andymesquita]

these guys are great! but if you have forgotten the strokes that means ur completely retarded ahah

[joannamays]

I just had the opportunity to sit in on an interview with Hamilton when they played in Chicago, and he expressed a bit of annoyance in the fact that every appearance they make, they are asked to play The Rat. He said not because of the pace, but the volume is why they have difficulty. Sound mixers in small venues usually don't know how to handle a song that is this loud all the way through. But he also said that they will always do it, because the fans love it. Really nice guy.

[therobotson]

Matt Barrick is a beast! no two ways about it. Wordahmup!!

[registeredtosmith]

I saw the guitarist screw up once, but overall what a tight performance.

[spiderscales76]

i remember seeing this live that nite!(On tv)

i was blown away! i picked up Bows and Arrows later that week. Its now forever burned onto my musical Brain lobes, along with the strokes' "is this it"

[idontknow7221]

That drummer is just the same as a Joy Division and New Order guy, just perfect! !

[Vaiplayszappa]

He reminds me of Matt Tong of Bloc Party. Him and Tong are by far the sickest indie-rock/overall sickest drummers ive seen. As someone else said in another walkmen video, you dont have to be Neal Peart to be fucking badass on drums, this is all you need

[heywoodjablohme]

Bob Barr uses this song as an intro opposing the FISA wiretapping act... The last gasp of American privacy and freedom... So appropriate, so beautiful... to think our country is dying... One last chance to save it from a former enemy of freedom, who saw the light, and the light was dying... It's now or never, America, time to wake up, or wake up in the darkness of dictatorship... I'm begging you, don't let the government ruin us... Bite the hand that screws you on nov 4 08, VOTE Barr/Root

[wilchbla68]

That drummer is the closet thing I've seen to Keith Moon in a long time. In fact, the whole band reminds me of early The Who.

[koridatz]

wow my 2 favourite bands LOVE BOTH OF THEM

[lasfinisimas]

this song is on the edge! its amazing

[jedijenkeez45]

they friggin rock!!!!!

[thegrant]

i can only play this song on drums for about a minute and a half then my forearms die, but im getting there

[ashkon52]

This is one of the best drum charged songs I have heard in a long time, but this live performance is poor. The tempo is choppy. The sound engineers got it all wrong and the guitarist is struggling to stay afloat. They didnt do themselves any favors here... oh did I say that this song is otherwise amazing.

[phoenixicarus]

Agreed.

[boxheadhappypill]

oh yeah. the mix is bad... still a solid effort if you ask me. this song kills.

[scottmmmm]

I agree about the sound quality. Live performances often sound bad on tv in my experience. The only real exceptions I can think of straight away are LCD Soundsystem on Jools Holland and Lykke Li's 'Breaking it Up' live performance on her myspace.

[Darko19861112]

how could you knock the drummer by saying hes lacking. he took it to a whole other level than anyone normal. although, i guess with anything brilliant theres a critic

[jajajavier]

great vocals

[interpolxstella]

bbeautifull

[allth3s4me]

hes not a dork, hes cool as a person man

[FFGM1973]

The drumm player is a dork, but it´s still a good drummer...

[allth3s4me]

nope.... drummer has to be the backbone of the band. this one tries to bang cool beats but absolutely drops behind the others which sounds wack, so it's like all the others have to keep time. but I said, this is awesome anyways. great song!

[wambola]

Did your drumteacher tell you that?

I mean, you could always stick to the simple beat, but you got to realise this song wouldn't be the shit if it weren't for the drums.

Matt is just trying to break free and I think he does a good job keeping time in this fast-paced song.

[allth3s4me]

Awesome! The drummer sucks though

[wescHP]

haha

we always need a joke here and there!

your kidding right?

[allth3s4me]

no, not a joke. i know it sounds absolutely alright if youre not a drummer. i have a good ear and i hear that the drummer is a bit behind the guitarist and the guitarist keeps him up. it sounds like struggling not flowing. on record of course its all done right

[scottmmmm]

Sorry mate but your totally wrong. He is the best drummer out there at the moment.

[AJD1985]

this song gets me PUUUMPED!! especially the drums...these guys rock

[scottmmmm]

that snare drum sounds gash.

i love this song though, and Hanilton sings it really reall well live considering how powerful the vocals are.

[zepfan989]

their drummer is good

[Sordail]

Man..

this song. it has a powerful response in me..emotional..don't know why..but man..this sh*t smokes! Amazing song

[mjd775]

...that was awesome!!

[piadox]

Awesome performance! I'd love to see them live. The only thing is the frontman, Hamilton, needs a bit more of on stage personality, but he has the "vocal passion" to make you pass it up. Actually, watching this performance was pretty much like watching the video for the song! hehehe

[BearRyan]

Ye gotta see them! Trust me!

[scottmmmm]

The 'vocal passion' your talking about is his stage personality. I'd much rather have him belting out the songs in that scream of his than prancing about like some ACDC reject. See them live...best gig I've ever been to was The Walkmen in Glasgow last year.

[killianH]

bloody hell. amazing

[mlbsucksass]

No one sounds like the Walkmen. Love them.

[mauriesl]

Ever heard of The Afghan Whigs..?

[outoftouch354]

i have to say the sound of this is better than the recording

incredible band

[ianbobian23]

no, i disagree. i think they sound almost equaly as good