Wolf & Cub @ The Rosemount(Perth) 11/7/09

Wed 15th Jul, 2009 in Gig Reviews

It was evident from the beginning, as a beautiful young thing shimmied her way to the front, that Mink Mussel Creek have a dedicated following. The band took the stage to a response which belied the half-full Rosemount Hotel.

Launching straight into the endlessly groovy Cat Love Power, one got the impression that the flower children in attendance tonight danced in much the same way as their parents did 40 years ago. A broken bass string couldn’t dampen the set, and the band proceeded on, bass-less, with an intoxicatingly funky number called, funnily enough, Funky Interlude, complete with Moody Blues-on-mushrooms flute.

The bassman returned for the swirling throb of Meeting Waterboy, showcasing the dynamics and dexterity that make the band so great to watch. Meeting Mannequin induced several audience members into out of body freakouts with its medieval thunder, and served as a fitting closer for the bands “greatest hits tour of the Rosemount Hotel”.

It would be a mistake to waste too many words on The Scare. The speed with which punters exited the building was entirely indicative of the bands quality, slurred psych rock posturing replete with a pissed f@#kwit persona. Inelegant yes, incorrect, no! There was a silver lining though, a bass player wearing the most spectacular paisley shirt ever, well not ever, but it did make the glass seem half full.

Upon listening to Wolf and Cub’s second long player, Science and Sorcery, you can’t help but think that its sound had been crushed under the weight of expectation imposed by its predecessor. Nevertheless, the anticipation for tonight’s show was clear, the dedicated were in no doubt that a live context would give new songs a new life. And so it began, and with the new albums best track, The Loosest Gooses, an astonishing performance of a fist pumping anthem, signalling that the real home for these songs is on the stage.

Lead single One to the Other, ignited the first moshpit of the night and compelled one punter to set his mate’s hair on fire. Joel Byrne’s energy was contagious, goading the front row with amphetamine intensity. By now the punters were frothing.

This Mess came on like a drug, slowly taking shape, the Rosemount floor morphing into a warehouse rave inducing all manner of behaviour, shoulder rides, cranium massages. With drugs and affection in mind, seemingly in the spirit of the evening, Steal Their Gold, compelled Joel Byrne to give his guitar tech some love, a touching moment set to drums that felt like a decent into hell.

The night ended with Vessels, a tribal onslaught with members of The Scare in tow, transporting the seething, roaring, shouting mess of devotees to a higher state. Like the best climax, nobody wanted it to end, but the comedown will be ringing in the ears of the beloved for weeks to come.