Friday 23/11/07 Taste of Chaos Tour @ Newcastle Carling Academy

Aiden front-man wiL Francis pauses half-way through their set, he looks to the heavens, steam forming a ghost-like existence around his silhouette, while sweat drips from his make-up caked brow. He suddenly spits into the worshipping hoards in front of him, who bizarrely seem to revel in this sadistic humiliation. Then the abuse turns to the more deserving seated section, perched high in the rafters: “Why the **** are you ****s sitting down?” wiL laments. “Get on your ****ing feet; this is Taste of ****ing Chaos!”  The perennial punk extravaganza is in full furious swing, as the ‘take-no-shit-from-no-one’ attitude is as stingingly sharp as the array of piercings on show tonight. wiL isn’t finished with his insults either “How many of you ****ers didn’t come here for Aiden?” he elegantly inquires. The disapproving arms-folded-brigade at the back murmurs their disgust. “Well, I hope you guys all die of Aids” spouts wiL. Friendly, Taste of Chaos ain’t! But an absolute shit-storm of a show, it certainly is!

Gallows lead singer Frank Carter is rapidly becoming a hardcore/punk icon and has no time for niceties, when there’s a mosh-pit to instigate! As the raucous riff of ‘Belly of a Shark’ sparks one hell of a response from the fiercely dedicated clan. There is so much raw anger that Carter literally spits and bleeds out, his heavily tattooed torso indicating his other burning passion. Gallows are one of those band you HAVE to see live, whether you like their brutal sound or not, to watch them PERFORM will transfix even the biggest cynic. ‘Abandon Ship’ is simply ****ing amazing, the riff is incessant and the live response indicates what a modern punk anthem it has become. Spitting at the front row of the already severely sodden scenesters seems to be the theme of the night, as Carter shares his salvia with his delirious disciples, leaving you wondering if some would even eat his shit if he so ordered.

Though die-hard fans don’t get much more committed than that which worship at the alter of Aiden. The Seattle goth-punks have touched more kids than the most deviant of priests. With wiL Francis’s public revelations of a drug-littered past that drove him to the edge of living, they are not a band to have just a passing interest in. There‘s the predicted mix response of unconditional devotion down the front to the ‘This isn’t ****ing punk’ haters at the back. Francis isn’t blessed with the greatest of voices and this is an obvious flaw when playing live. However their relentless effort makes up for it as they deliver ‘Die Romantic’ with vigour. New album ‘Conviction’ signifies a substantial shift in sound and image for the quintet, but it is a change that was needed. It breaths a whole new life and vibrancy into the band, and it is clearly visible how much the guys revel in playing the new material. ‘Teenage Queen’ sounds awesome, the opening riff sticks to you like a sweat-soaked pair of skinny jeans. ‘One Love’ is arguably their most accessible song penned to date and it goes does a storm.  They end with the song that wooed many a tortured teen to them in the beginning. ‘I Set My Friends On Fire’ marks an impressive display of guts and showmanship from a front-man to rival Gerard Way.