When Gallows announced Wade MacNeil as their new frontman back in August, they gave us a taste of what we could expect their future to sound like by way of ‘True Colours’. We being the inquisitive fellows that we are, asked for your first impressions of “new” Gallows, and opinions were pretty much split down the middle. Well, some video footage has emerged from the band’s first tour with MacNeil – and it paints an interesting picture.
Before we go any further, let’s break down the results of our previous poll:
What do you think of the Wade MacNeil-fronted Gallows after hearing 'True Colours'?
- Hey! It's better than I expected (27%, 153 Votes)
- Bloody hell! Unexpected but BRILLIANT (26%, 144 Votes)
- What? Err...this doesn't sound like the band I used to love (24%, 132 Votes)
- Frank, please come back. (23%, 132 Votes)
Total Voters: 561
Loading ...As you can see, it’s pretty much an even-split between those hopeful of Wade’s tenure as Gallows’ frontman, and those taking a rather more pessimistic view of the consequences of Frank Carter’s decision to leave the band he helped turn into one of the most talked-about British bands of the last decade.
Well, for the last week or so, Gallows have been on tour in the USA as part of The AP Tour, alongside Four Year Strong, Title Fight, The Swellers and Sharks. This is the first chance audiences have had to see Gallows perform with Wade – as well as the first time anyone has heard some of new material Gallows have been working on since Frank’s departure. Check out this side-of-stage video shot during one such new song, ‘Mondo Chaos’:
A couple of people – not least the ever-vocal YouTube commentators - have drawn attention to the fact that the crowd don’t seem to be too into this Wade MacNeil fronted version of Gallows. And it’s true, in the above video they aren’t exactly breaking out the wall of death. But there are a few factors we need to take into consideration before judging this – firstly, Gallows are arguably Less Of A Big Deal over in the states than they are here in the UK. Secondly, the song is new – pretty much every crowd is a bit tepid when bands throw songs at them they’ve never heard before. The reactions on this tour have certainly been stronger to Gallows’ older material. Things certainly were a bit rowdier during ‘Leeches’ and ‘London Is The Reason’:
Then again, there is also a third factor we might need to take into account – that fans simply aren’t digging Wade MacNeil-fronted Gallows. With Gallows’ first UK show with Wade MacNeil just seven weeks away, and us being the high-minded, scientific investigators that we are, we want to see how our readers’ feelings towards Gallows have changed now footage of these performances has come in.
Loading ...Don’t pussyfoot around on this one – we want to know what you think!