JD Set - Wolfmother,Philadelphia Grand Jury, NewNavy @ The Espy, Melbourne(29/07/2010)

Fri 30th Jul, 2010 in Gig Reviews

Whoever said that Wolfmother would be too big for the Gershwin Room at the Espy has clearly been drinking too much Jack Daniels. There’s only four of them after all, and it looks like Andrew Stockdale has had a haircut. Now, the assembled fans who gathered eagerly in St Kilda to catch their idols headline the JD set above Philadelphia Grand Jury and New Navy, they were the ones who had the trouble fitting into the funnel-like venue. Amid the huddle of trampled toes, sweating bodies and the sweet aroma of everyone’s favourite Tennessee whiskey, there fermented an increasingly intense excitement as the unique opportunity to see such a huge band in such an intimate setting approached.

Helped massively by the compacted audience, Sydneysiders New Navy don’t struggle to create an atmosphere with a punchy set of British indie homage and US college rock pastiche. Having been compared to 80’s loving sombre souls Editors, NN live actually pack a much cheerier outlook, reminiscent at times of current scene darlings Foals and bringing the crowd to life with some multi-instrumentalism and more drums than you can throw a stick at (boom, boom).

Philadelphia Grand Jury don’t shy away from pushing their fan given moniker, and while the Philly Jays may sound like an American cream cheese they’re actually incredibly healthy performers, rollicking around the stage with trademark intensity. Hulking bearded bassist, MC Bad Genius cuts a scarily wild-eyed figure and, coupled with vocalist Berkfinger’s pre-recorded and piped in announcements between songs, their set has a zany, Terry Gilliam-esque vibe.

Taking any notion of formality with a pinch of salt, the band pause between, and even during songs to converse and discuss how to move on. Regardless of the interruptions, the crowd bounces along happily, gaining that extra inch for Going To The Casino, perhaps under duress from the caveman rocking the 4-string who yelps menacingly on every off-beat. Their other radio-friendly hits are administered a little more bite in the live arena, The Good News taking on a much edgier feel with the prominence of a thumping bass drum, and I Don’t Want To Party (almost) closing the set in a flurry of grungy guitar splutterings and spiralling keys. With complete disregard for his own health, 56-year old drummer Calvin delivers a calorie-thrashing solo that seems to last forever before the band delight the Triple-J devotee moshpit with a crowd level rendition of Jay-z’s 99 problems. Finishing with a flourish, the Philly Jays close a set that should have been a complete disaster but instead winds up as a gloriously chaotic triumph.

It’s already late before the headliner arrives, but the packed in crowd show no signs of flagging as Arty Ziff (sorry, Andrew Stockdale) and The Hair Bear Bunch (you can work that one out) take to the stage. Launching into heavily distorted guitar and bass so loud they risk footing the bill for the foundation repairs to the building, Wolfmother seize the opportunity that the venue affords them to reduce down their stadium aspirations into grittier, snappier renditions. 2nd song New Moon Rising continues the theme, the pomp and ceremony of the number diminished as the raw elements are brought to the fore in a speedier guise. Stockdale’s trademark howl is still present however, flawless throughout and especially devastating on an unexpectedly early Woman which creates an audible ‘whoop’ as the collected guitar heroes in the audience reach for their axes.

As the gig continues at a singular pace, it becomes apparent that Wolfmother don’t actually have a second gear. That’s okay though, since they don’t appear to have a first, third or fourth shift either, preferring to barrel along at full throttle, which is just as well since no-one came to have their skeleton mangled up against the Espy walls while Andrew Stockdale prattles through a bloody love song. The closest we get is the kid-like excited lead singer declaring his joy at playing the Gershwin having yearned for the opportunity while playing in the Front Bar. Ah, bless. In actual fact, the proceedings do take a brief step off the gas for a synthy, warbling Mind’s Eye but that’s not before an excellent, frenetic Apple Tree is so good that it has a bald man in the back dubiously asking people to feel his sticky hands for a good 10 minutes afterwards.

Of course there are some less than perfect numbers, some inappropriately big stage theatrics do creep in at times, but then, who wasn’t expecting that? We’ve all heard the albums. White Feather is the biggest culprit, coming towards the end of the regular set, but just when you thought it was all going down, that one from The Hangover starts up and the place goes bananas. It’s not surprising that The Joker and the Thief gets the biggest cheer of the night, what is strange is the amount of people who flood out of the room when it reaches its fevered end, declining to stick around for an inevitable encore.

How foolish they were.

In undoubtedly the night’s most fitting climax, the band retake the stage amid calls of ‘we want more’ to rip through a bombastic Dimension that sends the remaining fans into raptures that more than make up for the reduced numbers, and yet, the best was still to come. Given the sterling work that Wolfmother had done up to this point, it would be most unfair to say they trumped it all with a stellar interpretation of The Who’s Baba O’Riley… so we won’t say that. Suffice it to say that the JD set at The Espy was a triumph from heaving start to unexpected finish.

CHECK OUT ALL THE PHOTOS FROM THE NIGHT HERE