Two Gallants impress with a bluesy, country sound.
Who would have thought it would have taken this long to see a worthwhile band on the Saturday night? Perhaps aided by the blandness that had gone before them, Two Gallants served up a set of bluesy workouts and pulsating feedback and finally shook some life into Summercase.
With an extended instrumental introduction, perhaps in part to fix the sound level, for all that there was just two of them, there was a heavy melodic feel to the opening. Sounding like a cross between The White Stripes and Mogwai the ebb and flow of guitar and drums pulsed backwards and forwards, eventually crashing into the vocals.
When they came, the vocals had a nasally edge to them, not as whiny as Placebo's but enough to prick the listeners' ears and add another variable to the sound mix.
The San Francisco duo deal in lyrics that sound angry, all about shooting down your woman and wanting to see others fall and in a way recall the storytelling of Johnny Cash.
The drum tech was kept busy throughout the set with the drums being hit so hard, there was a constant need for re-adjustment. With the harmonica sound rooting the band back to its bluesy origins, there was a swagger and belief about Two Gallants that was largely needed on site and was a welcome respite from what had came before.
The set was only a short one but there was enough indicated to suggest future viewings would be welcome.