Being notorious amongst fans of indie/ punk music for their lively stage presence, catching Gallus play to a sold out St Luke’s was an oppurtunity I was lucky enough to receive on Tuesday 1st March. Accompanied by the upcoming talent in SHE and The Big Day, the show provided an overall night of impressive performances and infectious energy.
SHE
The show was set in to motion at 7:20pm in the form of SHE who showcased a full set of unreleased original tunes and a stand out, haunting cover version of Eurythmic’s ‘Sweet Dreams’. The crowd felt an immediate sense of unity within the band from their coordinated theme of white dresses, creatively reflecting the atmosphere of the venue – which was originally St Luke’s Parish Church. This idea of togetherness was demonstrated through their vocal harmonies which is a notable feature of their fresh sound. Opening their set with ‘Come Get It’, which was commented to be their first ever song by vocalist, SJ, asserted their intent to seize the attention of the venue. Their confident stage presence was shone through with back and forth engagement between the band and audience when introducing song names and the members of the band. As the set went on, their sound became more noticeable towards that of a driving bass line with stomping drums and intertwined lead guitar work between the three six-string players, complimenting the vocal harmonies that are most definitely a memorable trait of SHE. ‘Out of Tune’ appeared to be a crowd pleaser receiving a cheered reception to its announcement as the next song, creating a real intrigue for the audience to ponder what the band will choose as their debut single. Overall, SHE excellently opened the night and raised adrenaline levels for what was destined to be chaos in just a few hours later at the time. The large majority of the crowd that night will have walked away from SHE in eagerness for not only more gig announcements – but at any hint of when to expect a release.
The Big Day
The Big Day illustrate a strong influence of 80’s pop through their usage of disco bass lines and what I assume to be synthesiser-effect guitar pedals, which provided a creatively intriguing mix to the performances on the night. A self-assured stage presence and a full of life frontman made for a captivating performance straight from their first tune which only featured one guitar, allowing for the singer to deliver an animated performance making full usage of the space on stage. An interesting sample and electronic effects transitioned the four piece in to their second song which reiterated their very tight and professional sound. Their fourth song of the night, ‘Works Everytime’, presented more personal lyrics alongside a great chord progression, again accompanied by their huge sounding Nick O’Malley-esque bass which is very much a distinctive part of their sound. ‘Limbo’ and ‘Song I Made’ both sounded very tight, intertwined with synth sounds and jangly guitar licks. The Big Day’s final tune, ‘Start Over Again’, was described as about being there for a friend when they are in need – which was sure to have been a relatable topic for many of the audience. During this track the frontman took advantage of the packed venue, climbing in to the audience and forming an intimate circle to end their performance on a high. Collectively, The Big Day showcased quite a unique blend of synth-pop with a modern indie sounding edge to it, combined with their poised stage presence which was an excellent way of preparing the audience for the inevitable carnage that was Gallus. Alongside SHE, The Big Day have no music available on streaming platforms which made for an overall night of curiosity and eagerness for when both of these exciting outfits will provide awaiting audiences with releases. Be sure to keep an eye out on The Big Day as they will certainly follow up this performance with another top quality gig.
Gallus
I thought a suiting introduction for Gallus’ set would be to comment not only on the on the formation of mosh pits, but the crowd surfing that chaotically occurred before the band had even picked up their instruments. The opening drum sequence of ‘Eye to Eye’ truly set St Luke’s in to motion before the twangy lead riff became apparent, demonstrating the sheer infectious energy that this band consistently provide at their shows. The five piece then wasted no time before erupting in to their latest release, ‘Fireflies’. A notable factor of their set was the inclusion of various unreleased songs, and I say notable due to the difficulty I had in figuring out what tunes were in fact new as the crowd’s reaction to the entirety of the forty five minute set gave the impression that everyone knew these songs like the back of their hand. Crowd pleaser, ‘Looking Like a Mess’ caused for an intense rush of adrenaline for both the crowd and the band themselves straight from the iconic drum roll introduction – “Hiya!”. Gallus’ frontman gave a vigorous performance with plenty of audience engagement in the form of back and forth chat, climbing up on to the barrier and of course, orchestrating the mosh pits like a conductor of madness. For their live rendition of ‘Perfect Ending’, Gallus got the sold out venue to sit down together in anticipation for the huge sounding finale chorus before playing their final tune (pre-encore) in the form of ‘What Do I Know?’. As expected, the indie punks kept their cards to their chest leaving two of their best received live songs for last – kicking the encore off with none other than ‘Actual Factual’ (a personal favourite). For these last two songs it was difficult to hear the band due to the thorough excitement and energy shared between the stage and the audience, which is by no means a complaint as they still sounded great. The finale song of the night was the band’s first ever release back in 2018 – ‘Nice’. The set was as strong – if not stronger, for the ending as it was at the beginning which was complimentary to not only the spirited crowd but the outfit themselves, who gave an overall first class performance in ensuring constant high levels of enthusiasm were apparent throughout their passionate renditions. As always, Gallus made for a truly awesome live experience unmatched by any I’ve seen so far this year, with great talent displayed through the supporting acts in SHE and The Big Day who also gave passionate and memorable performances.
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Check out SHE’s socials using the links below!