Review: Gallaher's Green

Next up is the third album from UK rockers Gallaher's Green, and we're going to get this out of the way early - High Times and Misdemeanours is our album of the year so far.

Gallaher's Green have their roots planted firmly in rock 'n' roll soil, drawing from the rhythm and swagger of The Rolling Stones, the power of Guns N' Roses, the energy of Foo Fighters and the huge anthemic qualities Oasis brought back to British music in the mid-90's.

But High Times and Misdemeanours isn't an exercise in nostalgia. This is a band taking everything great about British rock music and dragging it confidently into 2026.

Opening track Bad Apples grinds into life before the interplay between guitar and vocal immediately grabs your attention. The verse melody is superb, pulling you straight into the song before everything begins driving forward. Part pop-punk, part classic rock and sprinkled with indie, there are moments that remind us of a modern-day 3 Colours Red, but Gallaher's Green have developed a sound that is increasingly their own.

And then there's the chorus.

It's breathtaking.

This is one of those choruses that feels like a classic simply waiting for enough people to discover it. Huge without becoming predictable and instantly memorable without feeling manufactured. Naturally, the band still have another trick up their sleeve, with a wonderfully unexpected Carter USM-esque outro rounding things off.

A brilliant slice of BritRock for 2026.

Just Another Country Song immediately shows us another side of the band.

A winding piano line is joined by a beautifully sweeping vocal that carries the song effortlessly forward. Everything gradually escalates until the whole band finally crashes together and the track reaches its soaring peak. We guarantee that by the second time around you'll already be singing "You're Just Another Country Song".

Marrying piano and heavy rock guitars successfully is far harder than it sounds, but Gallaher's Green make it seem effortless.

Then comes the guitar solo.

This is the kind of emotionally driven performance even Slash would surely appreciate. There isn't a wasted note. Nothing is there simply to demonstrate technical ability. Every bend and phrase serves the emotion of the song.

It's a track that demonstrates just how much this band have matured.

If the world were fair, this one would be troubling the charts.

High Times is more immediate, once again finding that sweet spot between piano and rock guitar. Gallaher's Green clearly understand the lost art of writing a genuinely great chorus. This is perhaps best described as a heavy pop song, and we mean that as an enormous compliment. It has the guitars for the rock crowd, melodies for the pop audience and enough depth to reward repeated listens.

This is where rock music in 2026 should be bothering the charts - assuming charts are still actually a thing.

Reflective and introspective, above everything else High Times makes you feel something.

Bloodshot Eyes takes us somewhere darker.

A brooding guitar and piano line creates the backdrop while the flowing vocal beautifully juxtaposes the more aggressive instrumentation beneath it. What continually impresses about Gallaher's Green is their authenticity. The emotion isn't simply coming from the singer. You can hear it in the guitar, piano, drums and every subtle change in dynamics.

There is nothing fake about this band.

The heartfelt vocal performance elevates an already excellent composition into something genuinely special.

Stand Aside has both feet firmly planted in the 1990's but its eyes fixed firmly on 2026.The arrangement is comparatively stripped back, yet excellent production ensures the track still sounds enormous. Layers are gradually introduced as the song develops, allowing it to soar before beautifully drifting away.Even better, that ending flows directly into Fade Out, Burn Out, which immediately turns up the temperature.

This is full-ahead rock 'n' roll.

Its position on the album is perfect, immediately changing the momentum and demonstrating just how carefully considered this record is as a complete body of work. Once again, the interplay between vocals and guitar is excellent, but equally impressive is the band's willingness to leave space.

Gallaher's Green understand that powerful rock music doesn't require everyone playing at full volume every second. They let songs breathe. There are some brilliantly inventive musical ideas buried throughout Fade Out, Burn Out, demonstrating a band increasingly willing to take risks.

Sunshine Day creeps into view through muted chords, creating an immediate feeling that something is waiting to explode. There's a slight 80's pop influence buried underneath, but only as a reference point. Everything else feels unmistakably current.

Then the chorus arrives.

It's the kind of chorus Feeder probably wish they could still write.

Huge, soaring and ridiculously melodic, it contrasts beautifully against the driving restraint of the verses. The band sound incredibly tight here, while the transition through verse, pre-chorus and chorus is almost ridiculously satisfying.The middle-eight refrain breaks everything apart before launching the song forward for another run.

This is our end-of-summer anthem, and we've already had it on repeat all day.

Me And You introduces a lighter side to the album. There's a bluesy undercurrent here and another excellent vocal performance, but it's the restraint of the musicians underneath that really makes the track special. The relaxed guitar work is beautiful. Again, nobody is fighting for attention. The musicians give each other room, allowing individual ideas to emerge naturally before slipping back into the wider arrangement. It sounds effortless.

Eyes All Over Me slowly edges into view like a classic rock power ballad. Haunting, vulnerable and brave, a powerful vocal leads proceedings before the full band collides into another emotion-drenched performance.

This is Gallaher's Green at their storytelling best.

The subject matter feels deeply personal, but they don't spell everything out for you. Instead, enough space is left within the narrative for the listener to fill in the blanks themselves. That makes it infinitely more relatable. We absolutely love this one. And if the band ever shoot a video for it, we have one non-negotiable demand - that guitar solo needs to be performed on top of a mountain while a drone circles dramatically overhead. Anything less simply won't do.

Better Days swaggers into proceedings carrying a touch of modern grunge, albeit played by musicians with considerably more tricks in their arsenal. The bass line is filthy. Dirty, guttural and absolutely loaded with attitude, it gives the entire track an enormous swagger before the melody lifts everything another gear. There's a subtle quiet/loud dynamic running underneath, but Gallaher's Green avoid the predictable version we've heard a thousand times before.

Once again, the guitar work is exceptional. Every note has a purpose.

If anyone can help bring the guitar solo properly back into mainstream rock music, it might just be these guys.

Songs For The Broken Hearted arrives on another beautiful combination of piano and vocal. The interplay between the two is breathtaking, with the intricate piano almost becoming a second voice.

Importantly, Gallaher's Green resist the obvious temptation to simply turn everything up and transform it into another massive rock ballad. Instead, instruments and layers gradually arrive to create an enormous cacophony of sound before allowing everything to fall away again. The build and release is stunning. This is one you'll need to hear several times.

Finally, Whole Lotta Nothin' brings a welcome touch of humour before the band crash together for one final blast of unapologetic rock 'n' roll. The rising and falling dynamics are excellent, while carefully placed feedback gives the track an additional rawness.

This is Gallaher's Green swaggering towards the finish line.

And, naturally, there's another excellent guitar solo. Short, understated and completely to the point, it does exactly what every great solo should do - makes the song better.

What an ending.

High Times and Misdemeanours is an exceptional rock album. More importantly, it feels like an album.The sequencing matters. Songs flow into one another. Huge rock tracks sit alongside vulnerable piano-led moments. There are recurring characteristics that make the record unmistakably Gallaher's Green, yet enough variation to make every song feel important.

There are influences everywhere - classic rock, BritRock, indie, blues, grunge, punk and pop - but they have been absorbed rather than copied. At the heart of everything are brilliant melodies, enormous choruses, intelligent arrangements and musicians who understand that emotion will always beat technical showing off.

Three albums in, Gallaher's Green sound like a band who know exactly who they are.

We hear an enormous amount of new music at Band Assist, so we don't throw statements like this around lightly, but High Times and Misdemeanours is our album of the year so far.

These aren't misdemeanours either.

With an album this good, Gallaher's Green are guilty as charged.

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