James caught up with Wade Macneil from the Gallows to talk about him joining the band, their current album and plans for the future.

You’ve been a band now for about 7 years and since the start allot has changed, so can you give people a brief history of The Gallows?
In around 2004 Stu bumped into me, we spilt each other’s beers and we nearly got into a fight. Later Stu would make me a Jack and coke and ask me if I wanted to go for a walk while we were on Warped Tour in 2006. We went onto the tour bus for a band from California and Stu threatened to beat the whole band up, he basically brought me along to look intimidating even though I didn’t know that was what we were there for. Fast forward to 2012 and then I get asked to join the band.

You’re almost at the end of a huge tour of Europe and the UK, how have you found it and where you excited to play anywhere in particular?
I’ve played a lot of places but on this tour we actually got to play some places that I’ve never been to before. We played some shows in Poland which were amazing and in Norway as well. Those were probably my favourite shows that I’ve played for a long time.

What can someone who has never seen you before expect from your live show? And what can fans expect from your set?
I think we’re very spontaneous as a band so you don’t really know what is going to happen. It’s usually chaotic and on the brink of falling apart but we just try and play as hard as we can every night. Musically we’re playing something off every record, basically the stuff that people want to hear.

You’re out on tour with Brotherhood Of The Lake and Feed The Rhino, how did this come about and are you fans of their music?
They’re both great band and Stu; our bass player manages both of them. They’re great up and coming hardcore bands and it’s great to have them out with us. I think it’s a great position to be in when you can headline and choose who you want to be on tour with.

You released your latest album ‘Gallows’ in September, are you happy with how the album has gone down with your fans and the press?
Yeah it’s been really well received. You try to just focus on moving forward and not focus too much on that kind of stuff but obviously it’s hard to ignore. By and large it’s been overwhelmingly positive. All of the shows have been good and the crowds seem to be reacting well to the new songs so that’s reassuring.

How different was it making the last album compared with your earlier albums?
We made this record in a really strange way. We only gave ourselves a short time to write and record but over that course of time we kept getting asked to play a bunch of shows. Looking back it seems insane to do it all but I think it injected a lot of energy and positivity into it and definitely helped to make the record sound how it did.

As you’ve had a pretty hectic year, playing festivals and touring Europe along with releasing your latest album, what would you say is your main highlight for 2012?
We had a really crazy day in Gothenburg where we were playing a show with amazing bands like Rancid and Anti Flag. It was a beautiful day, we’d been watching bands all day and then Bruce Springsteen turned up and watched Against Me! We got introduced to him afterwards and he was like “nice to meet you, good luck on the tour, I’m off to watch Rancid”. Every band that was there that day sat on the side of the stage and watched Rancid play and then the promoter brought over this huge tub of beer on ice; it was a pretty surreal moment. I thought it couldn’t get any better than that but then Turbonegro asked me to go and sing a song with them followed by having whiskey shots with Rancid. There was so much packed into that 24 hours but that’s how touring goes because the next day was truly awful.

What do you have planned for the rest of the year?
When this tour ends we have a few days off followed by an American tour. Then we have a Canadian tour and then I’m doing a few farewell shows with my old band Alexisonfire.

What would you say your main high and low points as a band have been so far?
I would say the first Gallows tour we did together which was in America. We were still trying to figure things out and it was basically just a bad tour. I think it’s those kind of things that pull a band together more and I think it definitely did with us. There have been a lot of highs but I think my biggest one would be putting out this record; it’s definitely the best one I’ve ever been a part of.

Where do you hope to see The Gallows in a years’ time?
I don’t really know. I think my whole musical career has been based on small achievements so I think it’s just about taking one step at a time. You definitely want to look to the future and the next record but I just like to concentrate on the present and the current tour.

What’s your opinion on the whole anti-piracy laws going on at the moment and how it will affect the music industry?
It affects the music industry in an incredibly negative way. At the end of the day people are basically stealing from bands and nobody seems to care about that. You spend a year making a record and then somebody just downloads it for free. I don’t waste too much time thinking about it but it’s getting tougher and tougher to be in a band because of that. If you care about music support music.

One last random question that we ask every band, if you could be an animal out of a zebra or Giraffe which one would you be and why?
I don’t know man; I really don’t know (laughter).

Thanks for your time is there a message for your fans reading this?
I’d like people to know that I wouldn’t want to be either a zebra or a giraffe (laughter).

Interview By James Daly