The Occupational Hazards of Being a Member of Gallows

There's such a thing as making sacrifices for art. Then there's England's Gallows, who really put themselves in harm's way for the sake of their music, a spit-soaked, gnarly mass of seething punk rock and hardcore. But membership in Gallows is hazardous to one's health.

"I've been in the hospital twice," guitarist Steph Carter proudly told Noisecreep. "Our bassist knocked me out and I got five stitches in the back of my head. I see the chiropractor to put my back into place. Before we played last week, I sat with a medic because I had chest problems. Our other guitarist knocked himself out with his own guitar. It's weird being in Gallows."

Carter, whose brother Frank is the band's vocalist, rattled off more Gallows-related injuries, as though each abrasion and broken bone is a badge of honor. "There is a limit to how much our bodies can take. Our drummer stage dove in Japan and broke a rib. I see a chiropractor once a week! At age 23! I should not be going through this. This is the stuff of a 50-year-old men. I am the youngest guy in my doctor's office and I have the worst back of them all, just from going on stage. I don't know how long I can do it, before I do serious damage to myself. Being in Gallows is hazardous to my health, but I put myself through it because I love what I do. I love feeling alive. But I keep my chiropractor in business. The medical bills for my band are through the roof and we're only on album number two. I am not complaining or I would have given up ages ago. We literally bleed every night for this band, so it has to mean something."

Carter recounted how his brother broke his own nose and gave himself whiplash, but young Frank's most devastating injury happened after he jumped off a lighting rig at the Troubador in LA last January. "He played every show that week, cuddling his mic stand because he could not physically stand up," Carter said.