I had the pleasure of speaking with Gianluca Bernacchi and Barry Dolan from Gallus about their upcoming album ‘Life Is Bliss’, their biggest tour yet, packed lunches, the delights of Milton Keynes, and the importance of their Glaswegian identity.
Gallus have been making a racket for almost a decade as a prominent act in the Scottish Punk scene, and there’s no signs of stopping this force of nature. From small pubs and humble beginnings to sprawling stages across Europe, Gallus are known for their tenacity and energy.
Embracing humour and self-humbling, Gallus’ music often handles serious topics in unserious ways, and their ironically titled, upcoming album ‘Life Is Bliss’ is no different. Now, mere weeks before their tour kicks off, the band are preparing for a new chapter beginning, history is being made.
“It’s Almost Like a New Band”
When creating an album, a band must formulate a creative vision, a goal, decide what they want their music to sound like. For Gallus, three years after their first and only album ‘We Don’t Like The People We’ve Become’, this process included a rule: less screaming. The band, who started writing ‘Life Is Bliss’ in January this year, chose this to be the case for both the sake of singer Barry Dolan’s vocal cords, and for a shift in a melodically considered, more colourful direction.
The band wrote the album in just three weeks, working gruelling 14-hour days Monday to Friday, and yet managed to keep spirits high. Everyone played their part in the recording process with producer Blair Crichton (Dead Pony); no stone was left unturned with every conceived idea recorded and experimented with until the band found the right fit. “Our song ‘Something There’ was written and recorded in about forty-five minutes, the idea just fell out the sky” Gianluca expresses, detailing how they’d been inspired by Soul Coughing’s ‘Circles’, having listened to it earlier that day, paired with the slight delirium post-14-hour studio day.
“An Angsty Love Letter to Glasgow”
On their way to the studio each day the band would each feel a shared frustration towards the M8 motorway as they journeyed from both sides of the concrete, and met in the middle at the studio. Constructed between the sixties and eighties, the M8 motorway divided Glasgow, ripping apart communities and neighbourhoods. According to the band, not only is the motorway a symbol of separation, but it’s also “Fucking Ugly”. “The M8 has nothing redeeming about it… I FUCKING HATE THAT MOTORWAY” exclaimed Gianluca, it’s clear where the band stands on this issue.
Gentrification and forced beautification, eradication of beloved venues and pubs, buildings turned to ash, and memories that are now unable to be replicated; the band describe the album as an “angsty love letter to Glasgow”, full of bitterness and longing for a time pre-covid, when everything felt better, easier. Although not its sole intention, the band believe that if this album can draw attention to what’s happening in Glasgow and other cities, then that’s a positive thing, as people should be paying attention.
The upcoming album’s cover art is a photograph of the Finnieston Ash tree, quite literally rooted in Glasgow, and representing the theme of loss much more impressively than an image of the M8 ever could for Gallus. “It’s kinda brutal looking, but stunning as well” they described the tree, its bark weathered and tired, its branches continuing to blossom and shed throughout the year, something so beautiful amongst concrete industrialism. Almost menacingly positioned, the tree constitutes a reminder of memories made; and at 170 years old, the tree has witnessed and will continue to witness the evolution of Glasgow.
Exciting Times Ahead
With tour rearing its head, set to start in September at The Jacaranda in Liverpool; Barry, Gianluca, and the rest of Gallus are picking up their instruments and swiftly getting to work- rehearsal. With five of the new tracks already debuted and going down a storm at live shows across Glasgow and Germany earlier this year, the band are feeling optimistic and excited to get out there and share the material with a wider audience for the first time. Some familiar and beloved venues such as The Hope & Ruin in Brighton, and Pink Room in Manchester, are among the nine stops on the tour for the band, and they’re raring to go.
Undeniably however, Gallus are most looking forward to their home show held at Art School Glasgow. There’s nothing quite like a home show, and there’s certainly nothing like a Glasgow crowd, according to the band. The love and passion Barry and Gianluca evidently have for their home city is palpable, and this enthusiasm translates into their electrifying performances.
The Glasgow scene is exploding with raw talent, and according to Gallus when asked for their local recommendations, “there’s too many to mention”. Cowboy Hunters, Tuna Sandwich, Soapbox, Counting the Days, and Lucia and The Best Boys- who they share a studio with- were among Barry and Gianluca’s top choices.
Top Tips for Surviving Tour and Avoiding Feeling “Frigging Crackered”
I was keen to find out how the band deals with tour. Tour can often be a gruelling and draining experience, although extremely rewarding, and so it’s important that artists find a way to preserve their sanity and health whilst gigging and travelling intensely. When asked what they do, Gianluca and Barry both replied with the same thing almost in unison, “packed lunches”. “You’re often eating a lot of shite on tour” said Barry, and so, the beauty of a pack up allows these punks to acquire nutritional diet, hardcore.
The second nugget of wisdom from Barry and Gianluca was the importance and convenience of a Gym membership to some kind of group. I myself know very little about gyms, however the band stresses how welcome a hot gym shower is when you’ve been on the road all day, and how the stair machines can save a touring artist from feeling as though their legs have turned into mush. “Try to stay healthy, because tour can leave you frigging crackered”.
A Memorable Milton Keynes Night
The 3rdtrack on the upcoming album ‘Life is Bliss’ is titled ‘MK Des (Miss Out)’. When asking the band about the song’s origin story, I was both amused and bewildered. Let me set the scene, it’s two or three in the morning, and you’re in Milton Keynes. This was Gallus’ situation after a gig one night, at the end of which they were approached by a fellow Scotsman, named Des. “He invited us to his house and started feeding us baileys and other ungodly mixtures of alcohol” they recall, and the night began there…
Des, happy to have made some new pals, began making the boys feel at home, supplying them with a bounty of booze. After consumption, this was followed by Des answering his emails, frantically hammering at the keys of his laptop, even though it was three in the morning. Barry told me “Des’ wife didn’t even seem surprised that he’d brought us back… I think he’d done this before”, and as she sat watching true crime documentaries on the telly, and Des swapped stories with the band, the evening kept getting more and more puzzling.
Born in Kilmarnock and a fellow Scot, Des was keen to spend time with Gallus, who were bordering on delirious, and very tipsy by this point. Bringing them out into the pitch-black garden, Des unveiled his hand-painted Saltaire, adorned upon a slab of pavement. The band were amused and felt a bond blossoming with Des, who has since not replied to any of their emails, shockingly. Perhaps they should contact him at 3am to catch him at his hour of productivity?
This night of unexpected friendship and comradery in Milton Keynes was so poignant to the band, that they named a whole song after the Des. I think this sums up the band pretty well.
Closing Words, As a New Page Turns
Gallus have got a busy couple of months ahead of them, and I have no doubt that they will smash whatever they take on. Support Scottish punk and pre-save Gallus’ album ‘Life Is Bliss’ releasing on September 25th. Get yourself down to a show if you can, who knows, you might become the next Des.