The summer of 2011 was a rough one for punk music fans.
In July, UK-based band Gallows announced their singer, Frank Carter, had decided to leave, citing creative differences in influencing his departure.
Less than a month later, Alexisonfire vocalist George Pettit released a statement via the Canadian group’s website announcing the band had decided to break up after learning guitarists Dallas Green and Wade MacNeil intended to leave the band to pursue other projects.
Mere weeks after the Alexisonfire break-up, Gallows announced MacNeil, who also fronts Black Lungs, would be joining the band as a singer.
With a year of the new lineup behind them, Gallows guitarist Laurent “Lags” Barnard said the change has been largely positive.
“Before we didn’t really put the proper effort into practicing. In fact, we never used to practice at all. I think it shows on our new album and when we play live as well,” he said. “[MacNeil’s] fucking professional. He can nail anything.”
He added that the band’s most recent self-titled record and their first with MacNeil on vocals, has been Gallows’ most critically successful effort to date.
While Barnard insists MacNeil’s joining the band pushed them in a positive direction, he said some veteran Gallows fans think otherwise.
“There are a lot of fans,” Barnard said, putting “fans” in finger quotations, “who liked old Gallows and probably won’t give new Gallows a chance because they’re just so set in their ways, which is probably something I was guilty of when I was younger.”
YouTube comment threads on any of the band’s videos are littered with comments arguing over whether pre-Wade MacNeil Gallows is better than post-Wade MacNeil.
“Gallows had their sound with Frank,” wrote one user. “This is an entirely new band. Not a fan.”
Regardless of lineup changes, Gallows performed at Mavericks to a small but excited crowd of fans Nov. 7, all of whom appeared excited by MacNeil’s vibrant and interesting stage presence. The show marked Gallows’ first visit to Ottawa.
Barnard said having a Canadian singer in a British band hasn’t hindered their productivity, as the band was already spread from the UK as far as New York City and California.
“It wasn’t a case of ‘we’ve got to get someone local,’ it was more finding the right person.”
Aside from touring and promoting the album, Barnard said himself, MacNeil, and bandmate Stuart Gili-Ross, recently formed their own record label, Venn Records, after a split with Warner Bros. in 2009.
The new album was released through their label, which has recently signed British band Marmozets.
“They’re really young kids but they’re stupidly good,” he said. “They smash it. They play harder than any other band out there.”
Marmozets released their debut EP Vexed through Venn Records on Oct. 29.
