The Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon is a songwriter that has become known for his deeply personal lyrics, charming persona and on-stage honesty.
Whether it’s the woman in his life, the fans that scream out his name or the idea of being in a band itself, Fallon, 34, of Red Bank, New Jersey, has built his musical reputation on being an artist of the pen.
The punk rock band burst on to the scene in 2007 with their debut, Sink or Swim, an album that showcased their cocktail of blues-punk and melodic rock.
The four-piece are currently on a UK tour and are set to play the Manchester’s O2 Apollo tonight and tomorrow.
MM caught up with American frontman ahead of the show to reminisce about the early days in the band and their first gigs this side of the pond.
“We always remember the first gigs we played. Our first UK gig was in Manchester, at the union [Manchester Academy]”, says Fallon. “The thing about the UK crowds is there always so excited, whenever we tour there the shows always gives us some of the best tour memories.
“Their mood’s infectious, I mean, it’s like we’ve never played a bad show there.”
It’s the fans that Fallon claims make the difference, the reason why he has to take a step back, and actually realise his status as the singer of a band that seems to always resonate with the teenage generation.
He says: “It’s not lost on me that we’re pretty fortunate to be doing what we’re doing. Sometimes you can’t believe it; you’re like ‘how is this happening to me?’
“When you meet the young kids with their parents, they think you’re like Michael Jackson -famous, and it’s so humbling.
ROCKSTARS: Fallon and the boys doing what they do best on the set of a music video
“In their mind, you’re the best thing ever so you just have to make their day, so that they’ll always remember that one day a guy in a band was nice to them, so they never forget.”
The lyrics that Fallon pens are seen as stories by his fans, which he wants people to put themselves into, whether it’s for a case of heartbreak or because one lyric particularly scream out for them.
“That’s my goal”, says Fallon. “That people would listen and then put the songs into their own world and make their own stories from it. I like to leave it open so people can have the songs for themselves.”
Fallon insists on maintaining a truthful persona to his fans, hiding nothing about himself in his lyrics, and most importantly on stage to those that give their time and money to see him play.
“I go see bands where I feel like they’re writing to their audience. I don’t really want to see bands where it’s like ‘Scream for me!’ That’s cheesy.
“If you want to connect with the people in front of you, the way you do that is by telling them the truth, you have just got to go and be honest with them and say what you’re feeling at that time.”
The New Jersey native also revealed that by just being a successful musician doesn’t mean they can write songs just like that and that he prides himself on being able to write wherever and whenever he can.
“You have to learn to be able to write everywhere and to learn how to adapt to any situation, songwriters can get really particular.
“They’re like, ‘I need this or I can’t start my day’ and if they don’t have that, one day, then they can’t function. I mean it’s a job, so you got to be able to do your job everywhere at any time.”
Fallon’s side-project, The Horrible Crowes (HC), who released their only album, Elsie, back in 2011 to critical acclaim, crazily only played two shows ever, however, Fallon reveals that he’s looking to play more of those songs live and that a second album could be on the way.
“Every show I play, someone asks me ‘What are you gonna do with the HC?’ I’ve been working on some songs, just fooling around; they’re not really anything yet.
“But over Christmas, I’m going to go do some acoustic shows in New Jersey and I’m gonna play some HC songs as it’s been such a long time”.
The band’s latest album, Get Hurt, was released this August and Fallon tells MM that the song-writing process on the album harkened back to that on Sink or Swim.
“For us, the album is us looking back on where we were on the first record and to then to adapt the sound to where we are now, it was cool to mix those identities and the end product was something that felt more natural with us,” he said.
Get Hurt, released on Island records, is out now.
Tickets for The Gaslight Anthem’s show are still available here.
Images courtesy of Colour Me Obsessed and Mercury Records, via Youtube, with thanks.
