Gallows, Set Your Goals, SSS, Fucked Up @ Norwich UEA LCR, 15th February

Punk gig checklist: Band T shirts? Check, Leather Jackets? Check, Vans Trainers? Check, Mohawks? Check, Glowsticks? Check. Hang on a minute…
Tonight is not your average hardcore/punk/however you want to define the bands, gig. Despite the presence of the heavyweights (in some cases literally) of the modern US hardcore scene and Liverpool’s finest thrash band, this is a bit different. For tonight is the first stop on Gallows ‘relentless energy drink’ sponsored UK tour. Championed by the NME and Kerrang! in recent weeks and months, the influence of the magazines is in full view. 14 year old secondary school kids line up alongside people who have never been to a punk gig before, who stand next to old crust punks, hardcore kids and everyone else.
As SSS take the stage though it’s clear the music here isn’t going to be any different. The reaction would be the same for some of the crowd if Ian MacKaye had just walked on stage, but snobbery isn’t what tonight is about. Apparently. With a front man standing at what seems from the floor to be at least 8 feet tall, SSS certainly have a stage presence which is reflected in their hybrid thrash. Oh, and he’s wearing a Fang T-Shirt. Destined to be loved by fans of Municipal Waste etc. SSS aren’t doing anything particularly new, but they know how to play, and they do it pretty well. Unapologetically old school, they choose to pick on certain factions of the crowd, but get no reaction from the sheepish younger members, it’s only when they target the kid with the biggest Mohawk in there, that they get the kind of anger they have been trying to stir up. Whilst they clearly are more suited to a different venue and a different audience, they more than do enough to warrant further viewings. Short set over, their back at the merch stand to flog some pretty decent t shirts. DIY, or something.

SSS

Next, come Fucked Up, who make a bit more effort to engage with the crowd. Singer Pink Eyes AKA Damien, references Alan Partridge, in between throwing his hulking, bear like frame about the stage, dancing seductively (as seductive as a man of his frame can be) and grunting viscerally. There’s no doubt he’s a showman, but Fucked Up’s old school, often epic brand of hardcore doesn’t require him to pull them through. Not afraid to experiment, and favouring 6 minute (or if Year of the Pig, their new single is anything to go by, 18 minute) punk anthems, rather than the short bursts most will be more familiar with, as a live band they are quite a proposition. The songs are rich, aided by a multitude of guitars and this, clearly, is a great band on the top of their game. Fucked up are exactly as their name says, but awesomely so and are every bit as intense as their much loved predecessors. Like SSS before them, they are back at the merch stand as soon as they exit the stage, having left Gallows and Set Your Goals with a lot to do to top them. Fucked Up are a band that encapsulate all that is good about hardcore.

Just as the crowd seem to have got their breath back, on burst Set Your Goals. Sounding on record like a poppy punk/hardcore band with the emphasis on pop, it is live where their hardcore influences shine through. The crowd adore them, with energy seeping from the band to the crowd, and back again. Their upbeat set looks to convert the cynics, although they are far outweighed by those in the crowd who had SYG as a vital starting point and have moved onto less accessible ‘real hardcore’ bands. And that’s kind of what tonight is about. Sure most of the kids here will forget Gallows and start listening to the Ting Tings or whatever crap they are told to, but some will be inspired by tonight and move into a world of truly great, affecting music. Back to set your goals though and they put on quite a show. This is what the kids should be listening to!

Finally, the headliners, Gallows. For all their critics, many perhaps resentful of the coverage they are getting for doing something that’s been done before, but better, they’re a pretty impressive proposition live. Yes they were fortunate to come along at the right time, and no, they’re not being particularly innovative, displaying their influences fairly prominently, BUT, they’re not bad. They’re really quite good in fact. Front man Frank Carter doesn’t cut the most impressive, domineering figure, his slight frame bounding over the stage, but he has the snarl and the aggression. Technically this is fast aggressive punk, and it’s played really well. Ok, they are by no means perfect, but I’d much rather listen to Gallows on the radio than whatever else Jo Whiley pretends to like because it’s cool. Set highlight is their actually quite good take on Black Flag’s ‘Nervous Breakdown’ and it serves again to show that their heart is in the right place. Ending with ‘Orchestra of Wolves’ leaving the majority of the crowd shouting along, Carter and the band exit the stage. Job done then. Well, not quite, for you see, someone nicked his shoe when he leapt into the crowd. It’s ok though, he gets them for free, apparently. Oh well, no ones perfect I suppose.

People don’t punch their way out of the womb, whilst listening to Gorilla Biscuits, they’ve gotta start somewhere. A band like Gallows is a good a place as any. Going nuts to Black Flag covers, that is something anyone can enjoy.

 

If you own any of the pictures featured and do not wish them to be here, please let me know and ill take them down.