"It's just like you get up, pick your instrument up, pour your heart and soul out and you make sure that when you leave the stage you're limping or bleeding, and if you're not then you haven't done your job properly."
Frontman Frank Carter doesn't mince words so I won't either – this was a great fucking gig. In an 80-minute run, our bantam ginger-haired anti-hero whips the crowd into a mosh frenzy, simulates masturbating on stage, and scales the Academy walls to sing a tune from the balcony.
On the last night of their tour, the cocksure Watford fivesome mix older material with tracks from 2009's Grey Britain, an album based on the concept that Britain is "fucked... socially, politically and economically", allowing for a more generous set than fans of Gallows are used to. Highlights include the downright catchy 'London Is The Reason' (tonight, Dublin is the reason) and a stomping finale, which sees four roadies thrashing about on four snare drums during the mighty 'Just Because You Sleep Next To Me Doesn't Mean You're Safe'.
Gallows make music to get your head smashed-in to – it's angry, bitter and disturbing – but the guitars are confident and Carter's vocals, delivered like a punch to the face, can be extremely moving. Granted, the lyrics get a little ridiculous (on 'Orchestra Of Wolves' the words "The hardest thing you’ll ever learn/Is to love and be loved in return" are directly preceded by the lines "Why waste time with conversation/When we can fuck for the rest of our lives?"), but such cringeworthy moments are matched by others of rare power.
Gallows pretty much have the monopoly on quality British punk and you can see why – the songs are generally great, the energy is overwhelming and you're not gonna see this kind of conviction anywhere else or from anyone else, especially not for 16 yo-yos. Frank Carter is uncompromising, articulate and fearless, and you just can't take your eyes off him. But somehow, with the playful banter between tunes, he still manages to come across as very sweet and intelligent and, in fairness to him, hugely grateful to the fans he’s been spitting on all night. A triumph.