Wolfmother rocks the burt
Rest of wolf family nowhere to be seen
WILLIAM O’DONNELL
PHOTO: DAVID IAN LIPNOWSKI
I’ll admit something right off the bat: I missed Wolfmother’s opening act, the Icarus Line. Apparently, based on the testimony of fellow attendees and the fact that a large portion of the crowd spent more time outside smoking than waiting in their seats, they were a disappointment anyhow.
What an interesting, sold-out crowd on hand to see Wolfmother at Burton Cummings Theatre: it consisted of a strange mixture of hardened metal/rock fans (leather jackets, bulkiness and intimidating beards being the visual evidence) and your average late teen to 20-something (male and female) that you can find any night at Coyote’s or Mybar. Above all, I noticed that the white-boy afro is booming. No corner could be turned without meeting pale skin and curly locks.
I was pleased to see the Coyote’s-types in attendance because it meant, to me, that the “old school” (as frontman Andrew Stockdale put it) rock sound was finding its way back into the younger masses. Perhaps Wolfmother shall prove to be the gateway band for another generation of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin fans? I pray so.
Wolfmother’s mixture of garage blues and old rock was delivered in pure and stellar form. The show kicked off with album opener “Dimension,” (a song which ranked at No. 9 on Rolling Stone’s top 100 songs of 2006, for all you trivia geeks out there). From there, these “Wolfmothers” rocked through the tracks of their self-titled debut.
Headlining a tour for a debut album often means that a little set-stretching is in order. Even with this issue hanging over them, Wolfmother pulled it off by converting most of their song choices into extended, instrumental jams. The classic-rock vibe of their songs suited this treatment splendidly and made me pine for the chance to witness the early days of the aforementioned Sabbath and Zeppelin. Perhaps Wolfmother is the closest I will ever get to such an experience. The crowd’s excitement was maintained through all of the improvised portions, but peaked when the songs were booming with recognizable and catchy choruses. Current singles “Woman” and “The Joker and the Thief” were the definitive moments of the crowd’s enthusiasm and rock bravado.
For some necessary variety,Wolfmother did pepper their set with a brand new track, which not-surprisingly blended right in, and a swell cover of Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown.” Both were welcome additions to the mix and were finely executed by Stockdale, drummer Myles Heskett and bass player/keyboardist Chris Ross.
Along with the sounds created by these three Aussies, the stage resembled something from the ’60s or ’70s more than any modern rock spectacle. An anonymous and colourless quilt-like backdrop hung far back leaving tons of room for the boys to run around, which they did when not needed by a microphone. The amps were humble (one or two per member) and sat neatly tucked next to the simple drum kit.
In true rock concert form, the crowd became its loudest when “Winnipeg” was spoken of (even in passing banter) by Stockdale. Such banter included a charming little story of how the boys were walking through our underground system to avoid our “cold living environment” and were disappointed to find that the record store they visited did not carry their album, nor did the staff know who they were.
The whole band was full of energy; Stockdale would channel Ozzy Osbourne one second and then Jack White the next, while the rhythm section placed themselves in a similar league to likes of the Experience (Hendrix’s band) with their precise but fun playing. All in all, it was certainly a fine way to spend my birthday evening. Yes, Feb. 27 is my birthdate; now anyone out there with a calendar has no excuse!
