Gallows

All the way back in 2005, when most of us were scratching our heads trying to come to terms with the new evolution of Greenday, there were five angry young upstarts with enough venom in them to start doing something about it. As such, this was the inception of Gallows, the band heralded by critics to be the revival of UK punk rock. Armed with a ferocious attitude towards live performance, and a flagrant disregard for personal safety, they certainly didn’t disappoint.

Upon the release of debut album ‘Orchestra of Wolves’ in 2007, they were met with such appraisal it was almost impossible to believe the hype. Hitting SXSW, Warped, Download, Reading and Leeds festivals in just one summer is impressive to say the least, couple that with Orchestra Of Wolves being praised as “The best hardcore album since ‘The Shape of Punk to Come’” you can just about fathom the upward trajectory Gallows were careening towards. I got the chance to chat with Gallows drummer Lee Barratt to find out more.

“We didn’t really know what Orchestra of Wolves was going to be when we put it out with In At the Deep End. It was just nice seeing our album on the shelves in our local record shop and getting some positive reviews from magazines. It definitely became an album that people latched on to and we ended up touring it for almost three years. That was unexpected but obviously set us on the path to becoming an established band.”

What followed was a whirlwind of UK tours, award ceremonies and magazine covers. But as with all young bands, they still had to cut their teeth within the ‘professional’ touring circuit. As that metal was the flavour of week at the time, support slots with bands like Bullet For My Valentine were the order of the day, meaning that they really had to fight (sometimes quite literally) in order to gain the respect they deserved.

“I really think our attitude didn’t change no matter who we were playing with. We’d still play the same way in front of 5,000 Bullet for my Valentines fans as we would in front of 100 hardcore kids in Kingston. It sometimes didn’t do us any favours, but the main thing we learned was that we could still put on a chaotic show on a big stage and command the audience’s attention.”

Shortly after this hectic three-year period, their sophomore release ‘Grey Britain’ was released in May 2009 to critical acclaim, which seemed almost entirely universal. Receiving tumultuous applause in all spectrums of the industry, from The Telegraph to Kerrang, it seemed that they were entirely unstoppable. During the winter of 2009, Relentless Energy released a film called Lives of The Artists following Gallows throughout the Warped Tour of that year, during which each member spoke deeply about their feelings towards the fragility of the band, and even more so, the stress of watching vocalist Frank tearing himself apart for half an hour every day. When he announced his departure from Gallows in Summer 2011 due to musical differences, it came to many as less than a surprise. Arguably, this was the biggest turning point in the band’s entire career. Frank’s embodiment of punk rock was somewhat of a crucial element to the entire Gallows attitude. At a time when so many heavier acts were mostly a case of style over substance, it was a breath of fresh air to see a vocalist who lived, breathed and bled every single lyric.

After what seemed like aeons of speculation and rumours, Gallows finally announced that Wade Macneil of Alexisonfire fame was the man tipped to fill the crater-like holes left by the ginger madman. This was met with mixed responses; some felt that punk rock was dead, but others saw it as a new dawning for a more interesting Gallows style, and the band certainly thought so.

“This is arguably the strongest the band has ever been in terms of personnel. We all feel confident and comfortable with our position in the band and it’s showing now with the live performances and the new record, which I think is easily the strongest material we’ve ever written. We all have the same mentality towards the music. We’ll never get lazy and are pushing ourselves constantly, even more so with Wade. We see how dedicated he is and want to step it up like he has. That wasn’t always the case before.”

Obviously, tearing yourself between two hugely popular acts spread apart by an entire ocean isn’t going to make for the smoothest of transitional period, so once the announcement had been made, it wasn’t long until the split of Alexisonfire was announced. After this, things had to move quickly. There was little time for regular social conventions.

“It was strange at first as there wasn’t much of a ‘mourning’ period after Frank left the band. Wade stepped in and the ‘Death Is Birth’ EP was written and recorded very quickly, at a time where not everyone had totally gotten used to the change. Wade’s first tour in America was a good experience as we all got used to being with each other every day. Since then it’s been a totally upward rise. Now it feels like Wade’s been in the band forever!”

Around the same time, Gallows showcased their new material and line-up at a one-off show in London, during which any shroud of doubt surrounding Wade’s ability to take over from Frank was quickly put to rest. A few years ago, a Gallows show would usually spill over the edge of chaos into outright brawling. Now they’ve managed to find the ability to control that mass of adrenaline and find the fine line between a good live show and a riot.

“We always embrace the chaos but we would never encourage fighting or violence during a show. Our fan base is very diverse from 40-year-old men to 14-year-old girls, and we want everyone to have as good a time as possible. I feel like in the past a Gallows show was a bit of a circus with no one really knowing what to expect. Now we’re happy to play the music we love as hard as we possibly can and watch everyone lose their shit to it. That part hasn’t changed.”

With a new self-titled album on its way in early autumn, it’s an exciting time for Gallows. Almost re-inventing themselves, and without straying from their highly regarded musical morals, it’s an album that is clearly eagerly anticipated by industry critics and fans alike. But what can be expected of this latest effort? I thought it best to be summed up by Lee in three clear words: “Dynamic. Anthemic. Bangers!”

Photo: Press