TORONTO -- They had the sound, they had the fury and they had fans flailing limbs at each other in appreciation.

British punk band The Gallows lived up to the often exaggerated English hype Tuesday night with a solid and at times bizarre 45-minute performance Tuesday night at The Mod Club.

But they might be the first to tell you having local group Cancer Bats as support sure as hell didn't hurt. In fact, three of the four members of the Toronto rock band made cameos throughout The Gallows headlining slot.

Led by the heavily tattooed redheaded singer Frank Carter, the five piece outfit opened with Just Because You Sleep Next To Me Doesn't Mean You're Safe, a bruising and angular effort from the band's debut Orchestra Of Wolves.

"It feels f--king good to be in Toronto!" Carter said early on. "You're obviously way more educated than the Americans. You've got the Queen on your money, you know what's up."

Although the fans filling much of the floor took a few moments to warm to The Gallows, the rowdy mosh pit and slam dancing ensued with tight, gritty Come Friendly Bombs which had Carter fighting for space on the cramped stage alongside fellow guitarists Laurent Barnard and Steph Carter.

While happy to be in Canada, it sounded as if the group didn't exactly enjoy California for a few reasons. Frank Carter mentioned how jumping from a lighting rig onto "a bunch of Los Angeles stiffs" messed up his back, resulting in him currently "playing at half capacity." It was hardly noticeable with his constant yelps, hops, stomps and manic stage presence.

The group's current North American tour also managed to ruffle the feathers of the Disney Corporation who banned The Gallows from performing as a support act to punk legends Social Distortion in Anaheim earlier this year. But even Mickey and Minnie would have to be plain goofy not to lap up the ferocious Abandon Ship which ended with Carter on the sidebar's countertop and then delaying the show to score some cash from the band's merchandise table.

Following Rolling With The Punches, The Gallows asked those in the front to "upset somebody" by enlarging the mosh pit to take up more floor space. While not too successful in annoying the pacifists in the audience, the group won more fans over with a rambunctious cover of Black Flag's Nervous Breakdown which featured Cancer Bats bassist Jaye R. Schwarzer sharing lead vocals.

After doling out a new song Black Heart Queen, The Gallows once again praised their tour mates. "We're all genuinely amazed that you stuck around following the Cancer Bats," Carter said prior to bruising buzzsaw punk ditty In The Belly Of A Shark.

Mentioning how they would hit a nearby watering hole right after the closing song, The Gallows brought out Cancer Bats lead singer Liam Cormier to nail Orchestra Of Wolves as Carter simulated a sexual act before exiting.

The Gallows had their work cut out for them thanks to Cancer Bats' opening set. Fuelled by the hometown crowd, the group ran through several emo-meets-metal favorites and managed to perform Hail Destroyer, the title track from their forthcoming album out in late April.

SUN Rating: 3.5 out of 5