Two Gallants have spoken out after being caught up in a Texan club brawl .
As previously reported by NME.COM, violence erupted at the Walter’s On Washington club in Houston, Texas after a neighbour apparently made a complaint about the noise at the venue.
Two Gallants drummer Tyson Vogel was arrested (and, it was alleged, singer Adam Stephens as well) after the band’s tour manager and two members of the crowd were shot with a tazer gun by a police officer.
Stephens has now told Pitchfork he feels his rights were infringed during the incident.
“It’s been a confusing few days. I guess I’m getting over feeling absolutely powerless in a so-called free and democratic society,” he explained. “It’s a sobering feeling to have the law be completely lawless and feel like there’s absolutely nothing I could do. I think everyone there that night felt the same.”
According to the Houston Chroncile, Houston Police Department allege that the officer on duty G M Rodriguez went on stage to confront singer Stephens after repeatedly asking for the volume to be turned down.
Rodriguez then alleges Stephens swore and “shoved the officer with his shoulder.”
However, Stephens counter this, saying: “We were in the middle of a song. I had my back to the whole right side of the stage, facing Tyson. But when I turned around to sing the last verse, this cop was there.
“(Rodriguez) had a flashlight in his hand and it was turned on, he was pointing it at me and walking towards me and yelling at us to stop. And I questioned him – I don’t remember my exact words, but I don’t think it matters. I asked, ‘Why?’, or said, ‘What’s the problem?’ just wanting to have some explanation, which I think I’m lawfully due. And I questioned him once and he didn’t give me any answer – he just yelled at me to stop again. And I think I questioned him one more time. I wasn’t rude about it. I had no idea what was going on.”
Stephens claimed Rodriguez was then physical toward him.
“He didn’t give me any explanation after me asking twice,” he said. “And at that point, he simultaneously put his arm around my guitar and around my neck and threw me down to the ground.”
The singer denies the accusation that he allegedly shoved Rodriguez.
He added: “There’s no way I shoved him at all. If you just picture the situation – we’re there to play music, not to attack police officers. I didn’t swing at him, I didn’t do anything in any way to attack him. But I think we were doing what anyone would have done in that situation.”
Stephens also discussed being shot with a tazer gun.
“He pointed at me and said something like, ‘Get down on the ground, you’re going to jail and he tazed me a couple of times in the stomach,” he said. “It didn’t hurt bad, I think he had it on a low setting, but anyway, I backed off.”
Stephens says he then ran out of the club. However, Vogel was arrested.
“They were arresting anybody who asked a question,” the drummer said.
Vogel spent the night in jail and was bailed the next day. The band mentioned they would be taking legal action.
“Something’s going to happen,” said Vogel. “It’s not definitely over on our side.”
A fan filmed video of the incident can now be seen below.