They may be the most exciting band in the UK right now, but are Gallows fraying at the edges?
“I’m going to level with you guys, I was out there crying before because I don’t know if I can do this any more,” said Frank Carter, lead singer of noise punks Gallows. “I was on the phone to my mum and I said, “I’ve had enough of this shit”. She said to me, “You’re just like me, you care too much”. It’s too important for us to quit.”
Given his band’s rapid rise it’s not surprising the ex tattoo artist is feeling the strain. Said to an audience at a June gig in Sheffield, squeezed in to a tight schedule post Download and pre Warped tour, it’s a revealing statement from the outspoken, but humble, Frank.
Usually infallible, the Gallows frontman has been hailed as the missing link between John Lydon and Kurt Cobain; his Watford quintet blend the hardcore honesty of Black Flag, punk pop of The Misfits, unrelenting metal verocity of Converge and have become 2007’s most unlikely Next Big Thing. But they’re starting to crack under the pressure.
Less than a year ago they were an unassuming DIY hardcore band, peddling their passion around pubs in the South West Herts scene: now their pale faces stare out from the covers of music mags, they incited a label bidding battle and the demand to see them live is so large it may break them.
Passion and devotion is why Gallows have enthralled both jaded industry types and scene kids alike: they’re outspoken, music obsessive, loyal, unpretentious and dedicated. From the satellite town of Watford, the band (Frank, guitarist/songwriter Laurent Barnard, guitarist Steph Carter, bassist Stu Gili-Ross and Lee Barratt), met through the ‘Hertscore’ (including Enter Shikari’s home of St Albans and Hemel Hempstead) DIY scene from a young age. Inspired by nearby London’s epic live circuit, local kids put on their own gigs as an anti-chav alternative to the town’s dominant mentality.
You’d think with so many bands it would be a piece of piss to start a new one. Apparently not; “When it first came to starting Gallows it was pretty hard to find musicians as everyone was already in a band, and doing well; Liam was the only drummer available and Stu’s band, Winter In June, had just broken up,” explains Laurent AKA Lags. “Me and Frank had been talking about doing a band for ages, but when we started, with a completely different line up, no one really wanted to do it, saying ‘it’s not going to work’. So we got together a whole new load of people and it worked out pretty well.”
However it almost ended before it began, as Frank tried to juggle a fledging tattooing career, long hours working in the family business, plus the band, and so kept leaving and rejoining.
“The first time was when we recorded a demo to try and get a new singer,” remembers Lags, “but after Frank sung on it he was like, ‘this is amazing; I’ve got to stay’, so he did. Then at Christmas we were meant to record our album for our original label In At The Deep End but he was so was busy with work he just didn’t have time. So again we recorded the album without a singer, but as soon as he as heard the tracks he fell in love with the record, sung on it and decided to stay.”
Charismatic and compelling, Frank’s powerful energy, an intense heaviness, hook filled melodies and incredible showmanship combined to make Gallow’s live show incendiary – and word soon spread. In At the Deep End released their breathtaking debut ‘Orchestra Of Wolves’ in early 2006, which received rave reviews, and captured the attention of both the press and industry. Everyone was infatuated.
When you listen to our record for the first time it’s really challenging, but after a few listens it’s like a pop record.
“We had quite a few labels after us, but it basically started off with booking agents,” explains Laurent. “As soon as we got booking agents, we got a manager and then lots of labels were trying to jump on us. By January we were on the cover of Kerrang, which is mental for a technically unsigned band. That was what grabbed the attention of big names; they wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”
Warners in the UK, and punk powerhouse Epitaph in the US, eventually signed the band. With a £1 million publishing deal and a huge amount of flexibility from the major (they are still able to release limited edition 7 inches and control all their own merchandise), so far everyone’s stoked – especially the label, who re-released their debut in June, (originally recorded on Lag’s laptop) as is, except for improved packaging.
“It’s pretty funny that the Managing Director of Warner Brothers hit the nail on the head – when you listen to our record for the first time it’s really challenging, but after a few listens it’s like a pop record.”
“It’s weird; it’s really harsh with a lot of noise going on, but you don’t realise that there are loads of hooks in there – it’s intelligent music. People think that punk and hardcore is just a racket but thought went into that album to give it variety.”
When Gallows began, their aim was to build a cult following, blaze with glory then quit at their peak, inspiring a legacy and revolution in UK hardcore. But, having already ascended the boundaries of a claustrophobic scene, and with major label contracts, is this not an option?
Guitarist Lags no longer knows: “We’re such a fiery entity that anything could happen – it’s so unpredictable. However, the one thing I am concerned about is us playing so many shows and burning out; we put in more energy and passion than any other UK band I know.”
