Gallows
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HQ: Watford, England NOW PLAYING: Orchestra Of Wolves (EPITAPH) WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: Led by spastic singer Frank Carter's boundless energy and Johnny Rotten-esque snarl, Gallows' catchy hardcore punk is a bracing antidote to cookie-cutter, fashion-fueled music. YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE? The Bronx / Cancer Bats / Murder City Devils "I'm so angry at the state of music nowadays," says Gallows wiry, ginger-haired frontman Frank Carter. "We're sick of the same-old, massed-produced bullocks that you're force-fed through MTV. That's what we're striking out against." Boldly opinionated, effortlessly charismatic and refreshingly volatile, the heavily tattooed Carter and his fellow English punkers have all the earmarks of success. After winning over U.K. audiences with their ambitious, raw and catchy hardcore anthems, Gallows-which include Frank's brother/guitarist Steph, guitarist Laurent Barnard, bassist Stuart Gili-Ross and drummer Lee Barratt-are mounting a stateside invasion. The band's frenzy-inducing 2006 debut, Orchestra Of Wolves, will receive a U.S. re-release on Epitaph in July, perfectly timed with the band's summer-long Warped Tour tenure. But before Gallows were attacking international markets, they were locking down their reputation on the gray-and often treacherous-streets of Watford, England. During a hometown headlining gig in early 2006, a bunch of drunken townies broke into the show looking for a fight. "They thought it was gonna be real easy," says Carter with a chuckle. "But I got so pissed off that I just lost my mind. I yelled, 'Get 'em!' to the 150 kids in the audience, and we absolutely trampled those rude-boy fuckers." [Laughs] Like their countrymen the Clash and Sex Pistols before them, Gallows aren't subtle when it comes to inciting-and informing-audiences. "We never paint anything too metaphorically. We tell it like it is," says Carter, whose lyrics deal with issues like date rape, community violence and divorce. "I never wrote about anything I didn't have first-hand experience with. As a result, [Orchestra Of Wolves] is a very real record." Gallows certainly tackle some serious subject matter on Orchestra, but Carter is quick to point out the record's wide lyrical scope. "People always pick up on all the doom and gloom on our record," says Carter. "But really, it's a snapshot of everything that was happening to us at the time, good and bad. We've even got songs on there about going to the dentist." The group's tough and thoughtful duality is also reflected in the innocuous origin of their name, which was inspired by British illustrator Quentin Blake. "He illustrated loads of Roald Dahl's children's books, which have dark twists that you don't notice until you're an adult," says Carter. "Blake described these illustrations as having a 'gallows sense of humor.' So [our name] is not nearly as dark as everyone thinks." [Laughs] These five mates with a soft spot for children's books may have secured a U.S. record deal and a high-profile summer gig, but they're still in fighting form-"You'll never see us start shit. But when someone won't back down, you'll definitely see me defend myself," admits Carter-and remain fiercely vocal against accusations of "selling out." "When you write songs to make money, then you're in trouble. If you don't compromise and don't change, then that's not selling out... That's just getting paid to do a job," explains Carter. "We'll never sell out on our music. We'll always stay true to ourselves. And that's exactly what punk is." This British punk is excited to rile the U.S. this summer and sees Warped Tour as an opportunity to make his mark on audiences-in more ways than one. "I can't wait to show the States what we got," says the singer, who's also an accomplished tattoo artist. "I'm gonna bring all my tattooing equipment out on the road. I'm so excited; I look forward to tattooing a lot of people during this tour." Brad Angle |
