Having just completed a whirlwind overseas tour, Wolfmother decided they would return home to play a handful of shows outside of the capitals. One such show last Friday night was held at Kryal Castle in Ballarat, a site which turned out to be not just great for live music, but an ideally themed site for Wolfmother’s psychedelic rock. For those who don’t know, Kryal Castle used to be somewhat of a medieval theme park, with buildings and props that created an imaginary medieval castle. Since this attraction closed, the castle has been used mainly for raves amongst other things, so it was about time the rockers of Ballarat got a turn.
Upon entering through the tall walls of Kryal Castle just after 5.30, fans were met by a medieval courtyard and a main stage to their left. The stage was positioned in front of a large lawn area, with raised viewing from the sides and a ‘grand stand’ of sorts at the back next the bar, which was very crowded all night. Fans were also met with the realisation of the freezing cold (not to mention the on and off rain), some realising the grave mistake of wearing t-shirts and shorts upon finding out the main act wouldn’t hit the stage until 10.30.
Three minor support acts got to hit the stage before the main support act, Wolf & Cub. These included the virtually unknown Neon Love, Paperhouse and Matheson, all of whom seemed more than excited to be playing in this rare castle arena environment. Their sounds were mixed, the first band giving a screaming, punk, electric sound, the last band giving a less intense guitar based rock sound. It’s likely, however, that a lot of the thick crowd huddled in front of the stage were there as much for warmth as they were for the support.
Wolf & Cub were fantastic. Whilst they kept assuring the crowd they’d only play a few songs to make way for Wolfmother, their long, progressive tracks kept their set to full time. Duel drummers, Joel Carey and Adam Edwards are standouts in this band, their non-stop drumming switching between a mirrored symmetry performance and complete chaos. Drawing from their debut album Vessels the highlight tracks included the single ‘This Mess’ and the closing title track ‘Vessels’. Their live sound kicked the hell out of listening to their CD, which made it no wonder why Wolfmother chose them for support both overseas and back home.
The crowd was going nuts for Wolfmother a good half hour before they even hit the stage. It was clear from the outset the mosh pit was going to be insane, each person trying to get closer to the stage well before they came out. And with little surprise, the crowd went berserk as Andrew Stockdale, Chris Ross and Miles Heskett walked out on the castle stage. Stockdale wore a ground length cloak and wielded a gigantic sword (keeping in touch with the theme of the evening) as he walked out to the front of stage to greet his fans.
‘Dimension’ began their epic set, which set the crowd off immediately. ‘Apple Tree’ was early in the set and determined Wolfmother’s best ‘go-crazy’ song, as the mosh pit went crazy, bodies flailing all over the place. ‘Love Train’ had everyone around the arena dancing. ‘Where Eagles Have Been,’ ‘Witchcraft,’ and ‘White Unicorn,’ were also great crowd pleasers, the latter including a ‘jam’ that was a perfect example of how the band are labelled psychedelic, as the progressive riffs seemed to go on and on.
It was clear why Wolfmother won a Grammy for ‘Best Hard Rock Performance’ of ‘Woman’. They have transformed the short song into an experience of its own on stage; revving the crowd up with its introduction alone, then blasting the song out flawlessly, with Stockdale and Ross both rocking around all over the stage (Stockdale performing a couple of classic rock leaps from high surfaces), then moving into another of their own jams before bringing the original riffs back to slam the song home.
Crowd favourite ‘Mind’s Eye’ brought the main set to an end; with Ross’ famous keyboard solo a definite highlight of Wolfmother sets. For the encore ‘Vagabond’ and ‘Colossal’ were obvious tracks to play, however, Wolfmother surprised the crowd with the inclusion of a new track (they didn’t say what it was called), which was met with great eagerness. This sample of what is to come showed that they haven’t changed their sound but have definitely explored and expanded what they know. As expected, ‘Joker & The Thief’ ended the night on a high note, Stockdale again retrieving his sword to wield before the audience.
With the exception of trying to get out of the car park well past midnight, Kryal Castle proved itself as a fantastic venue for live music, though perhaps it would be ideal in summer time. Wolfmother demonstrated that they’re bigger than ever and hopefully they’ll return to the studios soon to record a new album.
Photos by Anthony Smith
