It was only appropriate.
As the sound guy for Wolfmother prepped the instruments for their show on Thursday night, he made a stop at the organs and suddenly launched into the infamous chords from Deep Purple’s "Smoke on the Water." The crowd cheered wildly and the guy beamed from ear-to-ear. He knew a pure rock ‘n’ roll revival was about to burst upon the stage, and he was as amped-up about it as anyone else.
And Wolfmother did not disappoint for one second. Casually sauntering onto the stage in a black velvet jacket, skinny jeans, and pointy boots, Andrew Stockdale presented himself in a way that captured decades-old rock like no one has done before. The rest of the band properly came clad in black tees, jeans, and hair that spoke nicely of the early ‘70s; the untamed ‘dos of messy curls that Stockdale and bassist/organist Ian Peres possess are ones that look like they’d pull a gun on anyone who tried to cut them.
Opening with "Dimension," Stockdale screamed “Woooooowww,” and Wolfmother tore the room apart in seconds. Accentuating each dynamic change in the tune were terrifically-timed strobe lights that would prevail throughout the rest of the show. It was thankfully never about dazzling the audience with the lights, but more about giving amplification to the pumping sound coming from the stage.
Soon the Roseland Theater was morphed into 1972, and everyone seemed to be nodding along like the time travel was just fine by them. The group proved themselves heartily, bouncing back and forth between songs the fans know by heart, and new ones from their 2009 release, Cosmic Egg. At times, Stockdale would happily skip around the stage, and at others, bend at the knees and strut across the stage in honor of fellow Aussie Angus Young.
From Wolfmother came tracks such as "Apple Tree" and "Colossal," a song Stockdale prefaced with an invite for a girl to come on stage with the band. “I see a girl that hasn’t stopped smiling, so we’re giving her a better seat,” he said to the crowd. For a few minutes leading up to "White Unicorn," the organs, guitar, and drums set the mood with a hypnotic segment of music very reminiscent of “Riders on the Storm.” The song evolved into an eruption as Stockdale stood on the elevated drum stage and summoned the crowd with his hands, while Peres attacked the organs with a furied vengeance.
Outside of the concert, Cosmic Egg has been steadily gaining my appreciation with its slight evolution from the band’s debut sound, but seeing them performed live only cemented my admiration of it. "California Queen" is drenched with Sabbath licks, and is quickly becoming a new favorite of mine.
It had been the debut album, in 2005, however, that launched me into the devotion I have for this band, because I have always held a deep appreciation for sounds of the '60s and '70s, particularly that of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and The Rolling Stones. And Wolfmother reinvents those sounds in only the right way. So many people accuse them of just ripping off the music of old bands, but I don’t see that at all. More than anything, they’re just reminding everyone why those years of rock will forever be the best. They add many touches of their own, and the unique presence of Stockdale, alone, is enough to cast aside any claims he’s just trying to be Robert Plant or Mick Jagger. With that in mind, though, I have to admit that whenever he would speak between songs, he sounded Just. Like. Plant.
The show ended with an encore of the delicious "Vagabond" and "Joker and the Thief," which turned up the volume of the crowd to deafening levels. It’s slightly sad so much of the audience this night were there only because they know of "Joker and the Thief" from movies like the Hangover and Jackass 2, but I guess it is what it is. Maybe it’s just me and my music snobbery ways, wishing everyone could be a fan of music for only the right reasons, but bands do have to attract followers in some kind of way, right?
That’s all beside the point, however, because Wolfmother was, simply, incredible. As were their openers—I can’t leave this review without giving a big high-five to thenewno2, an electric indie-rock group from London, or Heartless Bastards, whose vocalist gave me goosebumps for a straight minute with her deep, throaty voice. She truly is like Chrissie Hynde in a blonde wig.
This night was rock ‘n’ roll at its finest, and Stockdale only heightened it when he gave a double Devil-horn salute to the crowd near the show’s end. Long live Wolfmother, and their resurrection of some of the best music this world’s ever seen.
