Back on home turf after a successful UK tour, Thursday March 30th 2023 was set to be one of the biggest nights of Gallus’s entire career. Performing for nearly 1000 hungry fans at Glasgow’s SWG3 TV Studio, this special gig wasn’t just Gallus’s biggest headliner yet, it was also the official debut album launch show – only without the album. The album, We Don’t Like the People We Have Become -now due to be released in June – is a miniscule missing piece for this indie post punk quintet who are determined to put on a performance to remember.
Before Gallus could take to the stage though we got to enjoy a dynamic line up of not one but three brilliant warm up bands. First up was local young punk lads San Jose who brought with them some banging tunes with a strong Scottish dialect and humour. The next act were the fresh faced upcoming Inverclyde band, The Wits. Not even left school yet and these boys are gaining a lot of traction in the local music scene, even securing a place in The Feeling HQ ‘Big in 2023’ line up earlier this year. The penultimate warm up of this evening was the utterly fabulous Tina Sandwich. I absolutely loved their stage presence and energy. The front person had real Poly Styrene (X Ray Spex) vibes which really held the band together. A solid set with the potential to take up a lot of space across the local live scene and beyond.
It’s a later start for tonight’s headliner with Gallus finally taking to the stage just before 10pm but even before the band start playing the crowd are gearing up to go. They kick off with Eye to Eye, the most recent release from the ‘should have been released already’ debut album. There’s no apprehension in the room to get straight to it. This crowd are here to start pits and they waste no time getting them going. Despite the album release delay, Gallus still goes on to perform the album in its entirety. Not necessarily in its intended track order but we are treated to both new and well loved back to back Gallus anthems all evening. Even with many familiar fan favourite tracks such as Marmalade, Fruitflies and What Do I Know making the album cut, there’s no doubt that hearing these songs as part of a much bigger collective effort is very special indeed.
I don’t think words can really comprehend the energy in the room this evening. It’s electric and infectiously addictive from start to finish. Front man Barry Dolan is most definitely the man of the moment after that charismatic performance. Not just a front man, Barry is a performer. His dynamic personality fuels this band from a good band to a great one with his manic presence. Guitarists Eamon Ewins and Gianluca Bernacchi work flawlessly together to bring the Gallus sound together. On drums Paul Ewins is the backbone of the band and alongside the bassist they keep the momentum flowing from one track to the next. My favourite moment of the evening comes when Barry is literally carried across the crowd during Marmalade. This kind of crowd interaction is what smashes that invisible wall that too many artists hide behind.
An all round fantastic line up of local talent with main act Gallus proving that 2023 is 110% their year. If they fancy returning for another night of mayhem to celebrate the actual album release them we shall all be there ready to go again.
I Don’t Like The People We Have Become is due for release on June 9th 2023 from Marshall Records.
Words by Anne Kelly