Gallops might have dropped the exclamation from their name, but this doesn’t mean that they’re any less worthy of shouting about.
Injecting tracks with a dark, vibrant tension that owes as much to metronomic stickmanship and rapier guitar as it does to spectral keys, Gallops’ tracks worm their way into your head, peppering your temples with abstract bleeps, simple, bludgeoned percussion and an incessantly immediate electronic pulse. Described as everything from math rock to cyborg soul(!?), Gallops are making the right kind of noise in the right kind of places.
Formed in Wrexham, North Wales, in 2007, they’re a band eschewing the grandiose bombast of post-rock and fudging the math rock numbers. But with tracks owing as much to Errors’ invading electronica as Mogwai’s penchant for an apocalyptic breakdown, comparisons aren’t something concerning guitarist Mark Huckridge: “It’s difficult for any sort of artist to create something without it being labeled as something or other. But, in all honesty, and without wishing to come across as arrogant, we really couldn’t care less about genres. We are happy with people calling it whatever they want to.”
This year has seen the band take up residency across industry showcases SWN and In the City, own a Radio 1 stage as part of One Big Weekend, and hit the Euro-trail with Minnaars. Despite hitting the continent earlier than most, it also seems that they’ve got a handle on rock excess, even if it errs on the playful side. “Touring in Europe was a truly amazing experience!” Mark enthuses. “We can’t wait to get back out there. We traveled around in a van and a car and some of us had the luxury of low-grade hostels and hotels whilst a couple of us, due to a small tour budget, had to sleep in the van in the car park. It was great. We got involved in a fight with a martial arts expert from Kent because we stole his bottle of Jagermeister, got banned from a supermarket in Berlin for attempting to make a documentary about trifle, and completely covered a car in fried rice.”
But don’t be fooled, because food and fights aside, Gallops are a band underscored by a tireless work ethic. Heavily touted but still unsigned, their ethos has seen them tirelessly edge towards a new EP, slated for release early next year. “We’ve just about scraped enough money together to fund the EP. The recording time got put back two weeks due to illness within the band but we’re all fine now, and really excited to record. We plan to release the EP by the New Year.”
Words by Reef Younis
Where: Wrexham, North Wales
What: Ultraviolence and Topman
Unique Fact: The band used to be called Gallops!, but dropped the exclamation mark because it was “plain bloody stupid”.
Get 3 songs: ‘Lasers’, ‘Crutches’, ‘Oh, The Manatee’
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Get Gallops’ ‘Lasers’ as part of Clash Magazine’s Ones To Watch for 2010 download album HERE.
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Big Chill Festival 2010
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