For about the past ten years, rock ‘n’ roll has been left widowed and childless. There has been no worthy heir to the G & R throne; no one has filled the gap left by the Pearl Jams and Black Crowes of a seemingly lost era in music. Other than the gritty White Stripes and breath of fresh air The Queens of the Stoneage breathed into the scene, nothing has really brought it back to the roots of rock quite like Wolfmother in recent years. Reminiscent of everything from early Zeppelin to ZZ Top to their fellow countrymen AC/DC, the Wolfmother crew live and bleed all things old school.
This is vastly apparent upon first viewing of the band in action. Similarly to The Raconteurs, just about all of the band’s equipment was made circa 1960-75. Short of their pedal boards and keyboard (which is used mostly to emulate the Moog synthesizers of the 70’s), their setups send one back to the golden age of rock. From behind the unpolished flat cymbal set-up and simple vintage drum kit, Myles holds the Wolfies (as they refer to themselves) down with driving, yet, inventive beats.
At the helm of this three piece, Andrew Stockdale’s incredibly unique vocals and guitar playing are reminiscent of an early Robert Plant crossed with a bit less harsh version of Bon Scott. The opening scream on their first and self-titled record, Wolfmother sums the band’s whole essence up in 3 quick seconds. Lastly, Chris Ross, bassist and keyboard/synth player is truly the glue of the band. Upon listening to the album in its entirety, this may not be vastly apparent.
However, a friend sent me the band’s performance on The Late Show with David Letterman and immediately it was clear who was behind the wheel of this throwback hard rock machine. Running all over the stage while playing both bass and keyboard almost simultaneously (I am guessing he put the bass on delay), Chris not only kept Wolfmother moving but seemed to pass his unbridled energy to each of his fellow members whenever he got within five feet of them; simply put, the man rocks.
Basically, Wolfmother is no joke. For all the purists and jaded rock ‘n’ roll fans out there, go pick up the album, you will not be disappointed, and if you get a chance to see them when they come around again do it. Personally I believe that in the studio, especially in our modern era, anyone can sound like a miracle on tape. Bands must be judged on their live show. For example, I saw System of a Down as a kid and they looked like they would have rather been in a Chinese prison than on stage.
Regardless, Wolfmother left it all on the stage. I would say with maybe an ounce more confidence from Andrew and a little more touring experience to keep the crowd consistently involved the band is going to be on top of the rock world very soon. Though they are already a dominant force in their native Australia, Wolfmother is just beginning to break into the mainstream here in the US. I guarantee this process will be incredibly quick if they continue to produce the kind of tunes that are on this first record. From songs like Mother, Joker & the Thief to Apple Tree and Tales, Wolfmother always surprises, never ceases to impress and consistently delivers the rock, pure and uncut. It is one of the best albums I’ve heard in years and that is no lie.