Gallows bring to an end another year of hard gigging with two gigs on the same day. They played a matinee show at Dingwalls Dancehall in Camden Lock where they played all of there debut album Orchestra Of Wolves and then followed it up with this show at the no longer under threat Electric Ballroom where they were to play all of Grey Britain.
I got in in time to see most of opening act NOVEMBER COMES FIRE who were the kind of Hardcore punk act who sound far more interesting musically than they do vocally as the singer growled most of the songs but on the odd times when he actually sang or spoke the lyrics improved on them no end. They reminded me of those Homestead bands of the mid 80's like Live Skull or Scorn in places, as I say I liked them musically but the singer had nothing to make him stand out and the growling quickly became pretty boring.
But lets face it no one here wanted to hear anything other than Gallows and the packed crowd were up for it enough that the mosh pit started surging when they put on last year's Xmas number 1 Killing In the Name Of and the whole place sang along from the opening bars. Yes, they sang along to the instrumental bits as well as the lyrics!!
For these two shows that were being filmed for a DVD, Gallows were playing with an extended line up that as every hardcore punk band needs included a string section behind glass baffling screens and a pianist who opened the show with the instrumental intro to the album The Riverbank. That got the mosh pit going in fine style, yes the kids today do mosh to violin and cello instrumentals. It's all true!!
I had decided the safest place to stand was in front of the sound desk as it got me close enough to the front and out of the way of the moshing madness that broke loose when Frank and the boys swaggered onto the stage and launched into London Is The Reason. The whole ballroom sang along and most of the place was moshing as well as they were for the rest of the show.
Leeches was greeted like its a hit single that you just have to know the words too. Frank looked like he was choking up with emotion at the reception they got from the crowd it was almost like he had crying eyes rather than the Black Eyes he and everyone else were singing about. He thanked us all profusely for showing up and supporting them.
His brother Stephen and Laurent the two guitarists were just standing there grinning as Frank thanked everyone including all the staff and security, the sound man the t-shirt guy etc etc so much so that you knew he didn't really Dread The Night but dreaded not being on tour fronting the best hardcore punk band around at the moment.
Death Voices had a mad pit going as well as some fierce string action before Frank, wiping away what looked like real tears, apologised they didn't have a guest to help him sing The Vulture acts I & II and the audience would have to help him. He was also crapping himself about this song, mainly as it's the bands slowest song that he actually sings rather than shouts. But he he needn't have worried - it went down a storm.
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Then it was back to full pelt for The Riverbed that included in the instrumental break Frank going up the side of the Ballroom to the DJ booth to bump fists with (it turned out) his Mum before diving into the crowd just by where I was standing before surfing back to the stage and finishing the song. After that frenzied action, he thanked and said hello to his parents and Laurent's parents and Stuart and Lee's parents as it seemed all the band's parents and family were at this gig. The Great Forgiver was an appropriate song to dedicate to the folks.
Graves featured an immense and mad pit that got the security behind me a bit worried but the song really cut it and then the Queensbury Rules just tore the place apart as yet again the lyrics about the state of the country (which was written before we descended into riots and regular strife). Frank also walked across the stage with his Grey Britain flag as the band stopped playing. The audience kept the refrain going for a couple of minutes while the band all took bows and then the string section began the slow lament that opens Misery, one of the big hits on the album. The place was itching to go mental on it as the band came back in and then launched into the chorus as "Misery Fucking Loves me and we love her too!!" Of course we do. After yet more thanks from Frank just left Crucifucks to close the show in a blaze of anger and mania.
After lengthy band intros including the string section and pianist and the sort of band bow you normally see at classical gigs they came back and gave us a devastating version of Orchestra Of Wolves for an encore. It was totally primal and had everone singing along for the last time. It was the perfect full stop to a great show for Gallows to finish another busy year ahead of them going off to write and record their next album.
All that left was for me to walk slowly out and have my normal "argument" with the angry flier guy as whatever gig you go to it's not heavy enough or hardcore enough for him. He should have seen it from the moshpit. That would have changed his mind quickly enough.
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