Two Gallants - London Camden Barfly - 30/8/07
5/5
By: Chris O'Toole
Fresh from tours to the four corners of the world Two Gallants arrive at the Camden Barfly tonight seemingly world-weary, crashing and burning. Their latest EP, 'The Scenery of Farewell', is a morose collection of sombre, acoustic ballads about the loneliness of the road, the hardship of parting and the futility of love. And it appears that time may be taking its toll on the duo. They have been on the road for three years and are apparently not ready to stop. With the release of their new album, the self-titled third, due on September 23rd in Europe, they have a long way to go yet. So, perhaps, they could be forgiven for being a touch reticent this evening; holding a little back for their American tour which beings in the coming weeks?
Not a bit of it. To the pleasure of the packed crowd, composed largely of aging cowboys and their ballooning wives, Two Gallants are as alive, invigorated and subtly confrontational as ever. Their charm is matched only by their volume, and for a duo they make a fantastic racket; all crashing cymbals, hammering bass drum and belligerent (acoustic) guitar. Their style is the southern country tradition filtered through the thrash of Detroit rock to create startling and intriguing results.
They begin with 'Some Slender Rest', taken from their second 'What the Toll Tells' album, and this is perhaps a strange choice. Slow and meandering the track details the death bed confession of a man who has met the end of his days, and is perhaps not the easiest way into the Two Gallants' oeuvre. But it is delivered with such sincere intensity that the crowd are captivated and decide to sing every lyric as loud as possible. For a cult band, the duo really do have a passionate following. 'Steady Rollin' picks things up a little, showcasing Tyson Vogel on the drums, who fills the space required with adroit playing, knowing when to emphasise Adam Stephens's guitar and when to become the star of the show.
The new song that follows suggests Two Gallants' new album will be as rewarding as their previous output, filled with cryptic lyrics, elaborate guitar and feverish drumming. Stephens' lyrics have the same smashed mirror refractions as those of Isaac Brock; loosely associated rhymes that twist and turn to form a beguiling whole. Usually concerned with love, the loss of love or looking for love, there is still a great range to his abilities, conveying distance, emotion, hope and despair with equal aplomb.
Not until 'Long Summer Day', however, do things really get moving. The duo have got into hot water over the supposed racial connotations of the song, but examining racial prejudice in deep-south America does not condone it, and the tale of revenge is universal, outside of the confines of a single struggle for freedom. Once again the crowd sings along to every word, and the cramp confines of the Barfly become what I can only describe as a middle-aged petting zoo. Las Cruces Jail provides a highlight later on. The slow meandering introduction leading the crowd into a false sense of security before the track bursts out through the crash barriers and careens down the wrong side of the freeway. As with most of the group's songs the narrative is as engaging as the music, telling the story of a missed love from behind the bars of prison. Sung with by the impeccable Stephens, whose voice is the real star of the show tonight, the track has real resonance amongst the crowd.
Two Gallants are criminally underrated and possess the attributes to go a lot higher up the musical ladder. Their work is thoughtful, darkly comical, lyrical and intense. In just this one showcase event they capture the crowd from the first note and nobody moves an inch until they are released at the end of the gig. A top quality act that should not be missed when they return later in the year.
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