PHOTOS BY JACKIE ROMAN

"Fuck this stage bullshit" howled Frank Carter, vocalist for U.K. hardcore punk quintet Gallows, as he leaped off stage and carved his way through a pack of sweaty hardcore kids at Nokia Theater last night (Oct. 15). Following a solid effort from opening act, the Briggs, the punk faithful assumed the circle pit formation for what became a brawl of sheer chaos that blurred the line between stage and audience. Like a rabid canine, Carter unleashed a blistering vocal assault that kept the pit moving with "Abandon Ship" and "In the Belly of a Shark." But it was a cover of Black Flag's "Nervous Breakdown" that created the biggest stir from crowd. "If you see me go down, pick me the fuck up", the shirt-less tattooed frontman emphatically shouted as he proceeded to drop the mic and slam dance his way around the pit.

The performance culminated with "Orchestra of Wolves" as Carter laid it all out on the line, rejoining his band on stage in time to double fist two mic's and tackle his own roadie before exiting the stage with his shoulders bent in complete and utter exhaustion. But even as legendary so-cal punks, Bad Religion played from their expansive catalogue to a pact house, it was the crowd participation of the Gallows performance that was the highlight of the night. An anthemic mix of early '80s hardcore and pure stage aggression that made watching this group of Brit punks like watching a pack of veracious wolves devoir its prey. 

We asked: Gallows vocalist Frank Carter is known for living a straight-edge lifestyle. If you had to give up one vice that you can't live without, what would it be?

Name: Lee Barratt
Age: 24
Hometown: London, UK
Occupation: Drummer for Gallows
"MySpace."

Name: Todd Disotell
Age: 44
Hometown: Stevens Point, WI
Occupation: College professor
"Red meat."

Name: Pedro Foria
Age: 22
Hometown: San Paulo, Brazil
Occupation: Musician
"Junk food and hamburgers."

Name: Stephen Dvikowski
Age: 18
Hometown: Bayonne, NJ
Occupation: College student
"Fresh mozzarella."

Name: Robyn Drag
Age: 17
Hometown: Bayonne, NY
Occupation: High school student
"Buffalo sauce and hot peppers."

Name: Amanda Halvy
Age: 25
Hometown: Montville, NY
Occupation: X-ray technician
"Sex."

Name: Bejay Rose
Age: 39
Hometown: Queens, NY
Occupation: DJ
"Hard liquor."

Name: Sarah Bricker
Age: 29
Hometown: Astoria, NY
Occupation: Prop master
"My job because I'm already straight-edge."

Gallows guitarist Laurent Barnard and vocalist Frank Carter / Photo by Jackie Roman

Gallows guitarist Steph Carter / Photo by Jackie Roman

Bad Religion frontman Greg Graffin / Photo by Jackie Roman

Bad Religion guitarist Brian Baker and bassist Jay Bentley / Photo by Jackie Roman