Gallus Live

Òran Mór with Special Guests Dirty Faces and Count The Days, 18 April 2025

If you’ve been keeping pace with the MyGigNight blog over the past 15 months or so, you may remember that we’ve already been to a gig by Glasgow/Clydebank band Gallus.

Last time it was in the sultry confines of the Arci Bellezza Club in Milan, this time it was on a cold, dreich night in Glasgow at Oran Mor.

A year ago, the blog stated ‘To those in the musical ‘know’, Glasgow band Gallus has been building a well-deserved reputation as a live band for a few years now. Their mix of punk attitude, allied to fine musicianship, is built around songs blending insightful observations of life as many know it, in a humorous, some Glaswegians might even say, ‘gallus’ manner.’

So, what, if anything has changed since we last caught up with them?

I’m delighted to write that not a lot has changed. They still have the punk spirit, there’s a confidence about their playing from Eamon Ewins and Gainluca Bernacchi on guitars, Matt McGoldtrick on bass and Paul Ewins on drums.

This allows vocalist, front man and obvious Bankies supporter Barry Dolan, to ignite the packed-out venue with a swaggering performance that kept the mosh pit happy, the others absorbed and involved and once again demonstrated why the band has gained such a large following.

While the setlist leant heavily on tracks from their 2023 debut album We Don’t Like The People We’ve Become, there is enough from recently dropped music, the Cool To Drive EP to suggest that the album only set the baseline and it’s now time to progress the music without losing anything about the punk, guitar driven sound that brought us all to Oran Mor.

The EP’s title track Cool To Drive kicks off the set which immediately sets the tempo and tone for the next hour and a bit of fast paced entertainment. And it is entertainment with a careful eye required to see whether Barry Dolan was on the stage or about to jettison himself into the crowd.

Both guitarists Eamon Ewins and Gianluca Bernacchi take turns leading as they bounced up and down the fret boards. Like all good rhythm sections, Matt McGoldrick let all the action go on in front of him, sneaking into view on occasion to remind us there was a fifth member on stage. No such problems with drummer Paul Ewins who pounded out the beat almost non-stop as the band looked to complete their 17 tracks in the time allotted before curfew was called.

Listening again to the ‘new material’ there appears to be a noticeable upping in the ante. The songs still have the real-life storytelling, but this time the music seems produced to leave spaces for the lyrics to shine through. More scalpel, less sledgehammer.

In any gig there, are inevitably songs that stand out and, on this occasion, Perfect Health, fan favourite Fruitflies and the closing What Do I Know rose above the rest.

On the AtoZMusical Tour to date we have witnessed many bands that we have been familiar with for many years, maybe even decades, and the audience profiles reflect the long-standing career the acts have had. Mature I think is the word that sums it up.

As Gallus, continue to grow in stature, it was very pleasing to see a much younger audience following every move from those on stage. We can only hope that as the band mature, the audience will stay with them through thick and thin. It’s what live music is all about.

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Special Guests

Dirty Faces

Going to a gig, it’s almost as important to see the Support Acts/Special Guests as you just never know what the next big breaking act might be.

Ahead of Gallus taking to the stage we played witness to Derry duo Dirty Faces who come across as the Irish Sleaford Mods. With vocalist Josh O’Kane opting for the ‘shout at’ approach rather than the ‘sing for’, their angry performance with distorted bass from Lorcan Hamilton was equally disturbing yet enticing.

While the Irish drawl made it difficult to pick out all the lyrics, there was a definite sense of the songs recording a number of injustices. The distorted bass playing, allied to some backing tracks coming through the laptop, did add something that was not entirely unpleasant.

You can’t claim to have an eclectic taste then slam something you can’t understand. Definitely an interesting half hour, with some fine beats that took it beyond the mundane.

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Count The Days

Coming on early doors with the crowd still coming in can be a bit of a distraction. Count The Days though are a young and energetic force that didn’t seem to mind the audience’s attention sometimes drifting away towards the bar.

They have the punk spirit that set up the rest of the gig with what was to follow. They also have the blend of young musicianship that isn’t too frilly or virtuoso yet packs a punch.

Lead vocalist, guitarist and frontman Div Walls certainly isn’t shy at going forward. If the crowd won’t come to the front of the stage, he’ll go to them to urge them into bouncing around to the tunes being blasted out through the speakers. Arran Hopkins on guitar, Will Evans on drums and Reis Rosbotham on bass made a formidable enough sound to get the whole evening going.

There is enough in what they offered to suggest that they could make a go of it in the years to come and they have both youth and the skills in playing their instruments to build a repertoire that will see them rise above gig openers status.