Wolf and Cub have just ended their road trip of Australia in support of their first full length album Vessels. These home town heroes were delighted to be winding up their tour, here at the Adelaide Uni Bar, in front of hugely diverse and loyal fans. Special guests were advertised to be Perth’s Snowman, but instead it was Artax Mission getting the chance to warm up the moderate early crowd. This psychedelic grunge 3-piece displayed art noise in a self-indulgent fashion that was a bit too full-on and heavy for my ears, but the crowd were lapping it up.
The hype surrounding W&C is so great – I was expecting an ego-boosted 3-piece putting on a rowdy chaotic show of musical experimentation. Was I wrong!
Wolf and Cub opened their set with an epic guitar and drum-infused number that effectively paved the way for the rest of the gig. Then Joel Byrne started singing, his long hair swinging in front of his eyes and his voice like a distant persisting echo. Joel was backed by the talented drumming duo of Adam Edwards and Thomas Mayhew, who sat side by side on two fully kitted drum kits behind which they occasionally swap seats throughout the show. Adam and Thomas looked expectantly to Joel in every song like an orchestra keeps their eyes fixed on the conductor. Joel certainly seems to run their live show, but he doesn’t let it go to his head. Two more guys on stage complete the expanded W&C crew, but these guys were seemingly oblivious to the crowd, hiding either behind long hair or facing the amp constantly – a tad disturbing at any live show, nevertheless the sounds filtering from their instruments more than made up for it.
New single This Mess picked up on the energy-filled room early in the set with everyone in the first five rows singing and bouncing in unison. This song is definitely one of the catchiest Wolf & Cub tunes I’ve heard, particularly the Serge Santiago remix getting radio play lately. Other song highlights were Steal Their Gold, with piercing bongo effects and title track Vessels, a journey of pounding drums and penetrating bass with mystical lyrics that certainly get you hooked. March Of Clouds is another mesmerising anthem in their repertoire. A female singer appeared on the side of the stage to provide lovely backing vocals and tambourine for a few songs which rounded them off nicely.
Wolf and Cub compositions cover a diverse range of styles from indie dance funk not unlike The Rapture and gritty grunge in the realm of Wolfmother. Then there’s avant-garde experimentation similar to Kinski, blistering heavy rock and the occasional long musical interlude transporting you, and the band members, to another world. They’ve come a long way since I first saw them at FUSE Festival a few years ago. This powerfully cohesive set seemed a perfect compensation for their commanding assault on national and international stages in recent months. Next touring round W&C will definitely need a bigger venue to capture their rock resonance. They’ll also be showing off a new drummer (contact the band for an audition), as this was announced as Adam’s final W&C gig. I’m glad I was there to witness them in full glory!
