Wolfmother
The Loft
June 2006
by Michelle Gilzenrat

Well, this is a Wolfmother review so let's just get the obvious out of the way first. Yes, they sound a whole lot like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and slew of other hard rocking seventies bands.

But these Aussie lads have one thing none of those other bands have: youth.

Sure Plant and Page make the rounds on tour from time to time, and Ozzy awkwardly quivers when he gets the chance, but it's impossible for these aging stars to recapture the energy of their early recordings.

That's why we are thankful for Wolfmother. The youthful vigor of its members allows them to pay dutiful homage to the glory days of hard rock. They are able to capture the power and excitement that made classic rock so appealing. More importantly, they do it all with respectful grace. The soaring vocals are there, the head banging riffs are in place, but they spare us the over-the-top theatrics that would risk putting them in the same category as, say, The Darkness.

It's an epic style of music that is moving fans to celebrate decades after its birth. For the kids who have their older brother's Zeppelin records but never got a chance to see them live, or even for the kid who's never heard "Whole Lotta Love," Wolfmother brings an undeniable energy to the stage.

After rapidly selling out the Drunken Unicorn earlier this spring, Wolfmother returned to a new sold out crowd at The Loft. The sense of anticipation was palatable. Scalpers lined the street early on, fans rushed to be front and center, and when Wolfmother emerged from backstage there was an eruption of enthusiasm.

The Loft felt oddly fresh and clean to house such a classic, dirty sound, but it didn't stop fans from wildly waving devil horns and screaming cheers. While the band played its part, the audience, too, got into character. The energy felt a little rowdier and a little more "metal" then a typical hipster show in Midtown.

Wolfmother blasted through the tracks from their self-titled debut with impressive accuracy. Andrew Stockdale's vocals were strong as ever, soaring above the heavy guitar riffs and reverb-laden keyboards. He paused occasionally to interact with the crowd, throwing in a few tasteful Townsend-inspired windmills, and further inciting a nostalgic frenzy.

The fun carried on well after the show ended when local 70s throwback All the Saints provided the perfect after party music downstairs at Vinyl. Even Wolfmother front man Stockdale and his room-encompassing Afro made their way downstairs to enjoy the tunes. Not to be upstaged, local fro-sporting rocker Wes Hoffman of Second Shift stumbled in as well, amusingly blocking the view for many.

Overall it was a fun, boozy night that proved Wolfmother has found its place in modern rock. Sure the sounds are a bit dated, but you feel a whole lot cooler rocking out with them then swigging beer at Georgia Theater with ZoSo.

www.wolfmother.com