>>PREVIEW
Warped Tour
Gallows
Thursday, July 5
Race City Speedway
"It was Manowar. Fuck Manowar. We’re the loudest band now and don’t you fucking forget it." Vocalist Frank Carter pokes fun at the fact that his outfit Gallows has recently been inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records as the loudest band on earth, snatching the title from Manowar, the leather-clad Kings of Metal. This collection of Watford, U.K. punks (Carter, brother Steph on guitar, bassist Stu Gili Ross, guitarist Laurent Barnard and drummer Lee Barratt) have outshone their foes with a wall of amps louder than a jet engine.
In fact, this collection of old hardcore-influenced (yet moderately melodic) rockers has outshine a lot of people lately. With their debut Epitaph release Orchestra Of Wolves barely even on store shelves and no bona fide North American tour under their belts, they’ve become the hype band of this year’s Warped Tour as it chugs to a start. Not bad for a band younger than Rancid’s last studio release. Still, as Carter insists, the buildup is nowhere near as interesting as the music.
"(Hype) isn’t important to us. I think it’s there because we deliver 110 per cent at every show. But more importantly, any band has to be in touch with their roots when playing music – be aware of where it came from and who your peers are. We appropriate from our heroes in the best sense, because we do our own take on Dag Nasty, Black Flag and the Circle Jerks. We don’t give a fuck if people don’t want to hear it either… they’re gonna listen," he chuckles. "Not only are we loud, but we give our heart and soul, bleed and cry if that’s what it takes to make people listen."
While Gallows’s origins aren’t so outlandish – a collection of downtrodden youth with little to do but vent their angst through song – the music is. Influenced by the sincerity of their heroes, their sound and style is delivered in earnest and with undying conviction, two things most bands in the current wave of punk tend to lack. Channel that through songs that draw from personal experience and you’ve got the raging style that is Gallows.
"When we started, there was nothing else for us to do but get (our frustrations) out with writing. This music isn’t about the government, politics – it’s about the day-to-day trials and tribulations everyone faces and how they affect your character. Simple stuff. I want it accessible to everyone; appreciate it on the same level. That’s why we only write about experiences we’re educated in. It’s not about changing the world… it’s about changing your life."
With throngs of listeners jumping on the Gallows bandwagon, lives are changing. Still, Carter is adamant that people understand that the band’s members are not striving to sound like their idols. It’s a strange mix of inspiration and hatred for what has happened to punk rock over the past decade. Driven to reinvigorate the scene with elements of interest, danger and, well, volume, he notes that while you may not love Gallows, you can’t ignore them.
"We developed from a fine line between the two," he says. "When you’re young, there are so many bands you love that you want to be like. But when you get older, you realize it’s not about wanting to be in a band like anyone else. It’s about striking out against what is wrong. That’s what those bands (that influenced us) were doing in the first place. I was sick of the trend of stale soft rock that seemed to fucking penetrate everyone. Those people were happy to listen to the most banal, tasteless, boring, characterless rock ever. It’s not right. Music shouldn’t be boring. It should be exciting, intimidating and dangerous. You should feel something when you listen to it. You shouldn’t be able to just put it on in the background. You won’t be able to put us on in the background though. We’re loud. You can’t ignore us." |
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