“We played in Brooklyn last night. It was… horrible. Once you go over the bridge, all the kids seem to be walking backwards,” Gallows singer Frank Carter sneers at the start of the band’s set. This cool and cocky London frontman is clearly in favor of tonight’s fans in NYC, all ready to mosh at moment’s notice.

And mosh they did, a good chunk of the crowd forming an unruly pit with limbs flailing and stage diving bodies flying onto the front of the stage and the rest creating an open circle in the middle of the floor, doing that running stomp, hardcore round robin I haven’t seen kids do since punk shows in high school.

Gallows bring out the celebratory angst of their crowd and keep the spirits high with party anthems like “Kill the Rhythm”, “In the Belly of a Shark” (the song featured in the video game Guitar Hero III) and one of the night’s favorites, a cover of Black Flag’s “Nervous Breakdown.” The band is wholly appealing, insults and all, at times looking like a Simpsons version of a hardcore punk band, with tight bursts of fired-up guitars played by somewhat beefy guys, the cartoonishly charismatic, flame-haired Carter ping ponging back and forth amongst them, always the amicably aggressive dude, spewing forth his thoughts on everything from his three newest tattoos just done by a guy on Orchard St. to drummer Lee Barratt’s night of passion in NYC. To the audience’s delight, Carter even goes so far as to hold the mic for a fan to sing a chorus to one of their hits.

At one point, the crowd grows restless. Carter’s banter is going on longer than they’d like, but he shuts them up quick with the reminder, “You’re not going anywhere”, as if daring anyone to leave the room before Gallows’ curtain call.–Madeline Virbasius-Walsh/photos by Tear-n Tan

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