Review: Two Gallants, Thekla

Who can predict or understand the genealogy of rock? At the moment the evolutionary process has thrown up a slew of two piece bands. We have the mighty Graveltones (modernising that primal r ‘n’ r vibe from the 50s), Royal Blood (anointed by the fashion police as the great white hope for guitar music, to stellar commercial affect); and it’s not just the UK – even places as far flung as Beirut are part of the evolution (check the splendid Wanton Bishops). The US has been well represented by the Two Gallants, operational now for ten years so hopefully able to take advantage of the current trend.

The band returned to Bristol with their current tour, supported by Theo Varney. A Brighton-based solo artist, he and his touring band hit the stage with a squall of turbulent guitar, bass and drums and blasted us with a set of eclectic and disparate sounds. The basis of their sound is traditional power trio: huge riffs from the wellspring (the oeuvre of Tony Iommi), laced with lashings of psychedelia, surf solos and plenty of tempo changes that kept the audience on their toes. The set was well received and the band were clearly enjoying themselves – if Theo can sharpen up the songs and get an earworm or two in the set then they’ve got potential.

Two Gallants were back-lit for the set and played material from all five recordings, with current release We Are Undone well represented. The comfortably full Thekla was with the band from the opening bars, providing well lubricated backing vocals for the majority of the material. Adam Stephens (guitar) and the brilliantly named Tyson Vogel (drums) were tight as a crab’s arse, starting & stopping the tunes on a pinhead and with a playful sense of dynamics. Vogel’s drums are not just there to keep the beat, but as a truly percussive accompaniment to the guitar. Stephens is no slouch on the six string, capable of belting out riffs, lyrical solos and fine finger picking too, and the players prove in tune vocally too with sweet harmony vocals.

Of course any American band rocking the two piece format will be compared with the Black Keys so let’s contrast instead. Two Gallants have way more of a country vibe to their guitar sounds: there’s plenty of spook and twang, and the finger-picked tunes have a folk vibe. There’s less of a blues sensibility and the songs are less linear in structure, in a good way. The countrified tunes are characterised by a lonesome sound that places the material in the tradition of the early hillbilly music that was one of the key components of rock’n’roll. As a result the set was never dull, never repetitive and the band showed just how some clever musicianship and a judicious mix of genres can easily overcome the restrictions of playing with “just” two instruments.

From the raw, powerful angst of Despite What You’ve Been Told and La Cruces Jail to the catchy singalong appeal of Steady Rollin and acoustic and exquisite harmonies of songs such as show-stopper Broken Eyes, Two Gallants had the crowd from the off and deservedly so.