Gallows, Monday, March 3, The 100 Club, Oxford Street

I HAD heard a lot about the intensity and raw aggression of a Gallows live show. I certainly wasn't going to be in for a quiet pint, a comfortable stance and a gentle foot tapping this evening.

Despite returning home from a one-and-a-half year tour covering the globe and a main stint on the USA's prestigious 'Warped Tour', the feel of Gallows taking the stage still had an incredible adrenaline pumped feel of an opening night after hearing your debut album is going platinum.

The show opened with a ripping performance of 'Abandon Ship', strangely enough recorded at the same venue some two years ago for the first video. 'Homecoming' certainly felt like the appropriate word throughout the performance as lead singer Frank Carter told tales of America and distant lands, referring to the 'F' word constantly.

The majority of the 'Orchestra of Wolves' album was performed and in grand style too, many of the photographers who had positioned themselves originally at the front of the stage before the music began soon had to scarper to avoid the bombardment of people throwing themselves towards the band.

This was live rock and roll as it was always meant to be. The final song, a rendition of album title track 'Orchestra of Wolves', brought the night to a close with bumps, bruises and sore heads as the audience headed to the exits.

Worth the trip to Oxford Street on a grey and miserable London night? I think so!

Highlight of the night: The lead guitarist dropping his instrument to chase after a young hooligan who had attempted to throw a pint towards him. Supreme. . .