Wolfmother are good

[lenny&carl]

I saw them Saturday night on Rage and doing an abc studio audience gig, and I thought they were basically very good at it.

They immediately sound just like quite a few old bands, but they picked some really good ones to sound like imho. Led Zep, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, maybe even shades of Blue Cheer... ancient heavy psychedelic rock. But it's an understatement to say their influences are worn on their sleeve.

It's maybe my favourite era of rock, some I'm happy to see some new guys do a half-decent interpretation of it. And these guys are better than half decent.

They can basically play very well, the singer can sing, and the songs have interesting musical bits.

Some of the songs are catchy, especially considering the amount of psychedelic noodling they involve.

They're heavy!!!! This is good to me.

Their psychedlic sounds are pretty convincing overall... doesn't sound like a K-mart copy. First rate psychedelic spaceship freakout noises integrated into their songs... two thumbs up.

 

[gPhonque]

Yah....I saw them at Meredith on Saturday night, and they were by far the highlight of this years festival. I finally listened to the album though today, and was a little disappointed..... it's still good, and they're still good at what they do (which in all honesty is "ripping off everybody else"....although they certainly do it well!), but I think they're a band made to perform at festivals like Meredith.....big stage, big crowd, middle of the bush.....perfect!

I found myself getting a little bored listening to the album.....but then, those same songs played live just come to life so much more.....they really do take the crowd along for a ride.....which i don't get from the album at all.

They kind of remind me of Midnight Oil....in that to really experience them, you just HAVE to see them live on a big stage with a big crowd.

And the singer was definitely born a "rock star".....he has such a great prescence live.

They really were the perfect Meredith headline act.....coming on right as everybody was starting to get messy on the Saturday night.

 

[harry_hawka]

Take out White Unicorn and slot it anywhere in The Who's Tommy. Take out most other songs and throw them into a Led Zep album.

They plagiarise, but they still do it very well.

 

[GhostofJimJess]

Yah....I saw them at Meredith on Saturday night, and they were by far the highlight of this years festival. I finally listened to the album though today, and was a little disappointed..... it's still good, and they're still good at what they do (which in all honesty is "ripping off everybody else"....although they certainly do it well!), but I think they're a band made to perform at festivals like Meredith.....big stage, big crowd, middle of the bush.....perfect!

I found myself getting a little bored listening to the album.....but then, those same songs played live just come to life so much more.....they really do take the crowd along for a ride.....which i don't get from the album at all.

They kind of remind me of Midnight Oil....in that to really experience them, you just HAVE to see them live on a big stage with a big crowd.

And the singer was definitely born a "rock star".....he has such a great prescence live.

They really were the perfect Meredith headline act.....coming on right as everybody was starting to get messy on the Saturday night.

Would love a full or semi Meredith review if you can be bothered, gPhonque.

 

[Contra Mundum]

It's like Lenny Kravitz - It is Derivative and Good

 

[Toasta]

They plagiarise, but they still do it very well.

I dont see how you can call it plagirism. Heavily influenced sure, but there are so many 70s influences in there.

I find them refreshingly unique in todays rock landscape.

 

[gPhonque]

Would love a full or semi Meredith review if you can be bothered, gPhonque.

Hmmmm... I was struggling to remember my name by that point after a day of solid drinking, no sleep, smoking bags of ganja (even though I've quit), and god knows what else.. ..... but they were great, and I actually stayed and listened to the whole set..... the only act (along with Blackalicious the next day) that I actually stayed for the whole set. I'd seen Wolfmother before (last Big Day Out in the back shed) and they were ok, but on the big stage out in the bush at Meredith....it just seemed so....right. In fact, I'd say they're easily the most appropriate Meredith headline act there could ever be.

I'm still not that familiar with them or their songs yet either (i've only listened to the album once, and that was yesterday) which makes any kind of detailed review even harder that it already is for my poor brain at the moment!

I remember they opened with Dimension...... (one of the few songs I really "know") ...they were all on fire....slightly loose, as usual, but still rockin. The bass player jumping on the organ at times was great....distorted so much it sounded like a wall of bass and guitars......filled things out nicely, (actually, massively) and gave it all a very appropriate (for the festival and time - 10pm Sat night, with the trees all lit up with coloured lights) psychedelic vibe.

Rather than remembering details, it was more the overall feeling of the show that I remember most. As I said, they really take the crowd on a ride.....the jams never got to the point of self-indulgence (which I find too many bands try to do these days and just fail miserably) and then when it did get to the point where you were thinking "ok lets move it along guys", they did every time....smack you back in the face with a nice big dirty riff and the crowd would be instantly back in a frenzy.....the set really flowed like that. I think the entire Meredith crowd was watching them.....and I didn't hear anybody say a bad thing about their set all weekend. They played all the songs that everybody was familiar with.....Woman was a highlight, and all the girls went crazy to that.

It almost felt like we were at a mini woodstock while they were on.... almost a timewarp....psychedelic rock, lots of trippers everywhere, and everybody having a great time. I think they are certainly world class at what they do.....I mean, they really could have played at the original woodstock 30 odd years ago and been a highlight.....they seem so "authentic" if that makes any sense.....they may not be the tightest players in the world, and I don't particularly like all their songs either, but they do what they do better than anyone else I've ever seen..... great 70s-style psychedelic rock that is made for big stages at big festivals with lots of people rockin off their heads. I'm usually very critical of bands these days (so many just bore the crap out of me) so for me to stay for the whole set AND to actually enjoy it so much, then I know it must have been good.

Although like I said, I was struggling to remember my name by that point of the festival!

 

[crazy_big_al]

they are a good band

 

[harry_hawka]

I dont see how you can call it plagirism. Heavily influenced sure, but there are so many 70s influences in there.

I find them refreshingly unique in todays rock landscape.

Well I agree with you on that last point- I'm not knocking them at all.

I use the plagiarism term in a light-hearted way to suggest that their influences are obviously worn on their sleeve. In a way, this is a good thing, because it means they are rather unique in today's music in that they are not trying to cover it up in an 'art rock' way. It's just blatant rock, and they know they're not tricking anyone by covering up their influences.

I mean, the Led Zep influences are recognisable, I can hear a bit of The Who in there, and I even reckon Mind's Eye has parts of The Mars Volta influence in it.

Everytime Wolfmother is mentioned there is the name Led Zeppelin somewhere nearby. Constant comparisons will always be made until people realise the band is it's own thing (but this will take a couple of consistent, quality albums). It's kinda like what happened with Interpol and their Joy Division influence.

 

[gPhonque]

Would love a full or semi Meredith review if you can be bothered, gPhonque.

*opens another bottle of vodka*



Ah never mind me.....

 

[hale]

It's maybe my favourite era of rock, some I'm happy to see some new guys do a half-decent interpretation of it.

My sentiments exactly

A friend of mine brought up an interesting comparison I hadn't thought of (conveniently, due to my tastes?)...
She likened WoMo to Jet, and the way they burst onto the scene with their not-so-original take on Rock.

Only the Stones/Beatles/whatever rehashing doesn't really do it for me as much as this Sabbath/Who/whatever rehashing.

I just hope they don't get flogged the hell out of, a la Jet.

 

[Arcadion]

I don't think WM are like Jet unless they have blatantly ripped off songs such as Lust For Life, My Generation, Rock Around The Clock & You Can't Hurry Love.

 

[Pantsless]

Also on the Jet/WoMo comparison, WoMo are "borrowing" ideas form a era/genre/bands that wasn't as popular as the era and bands that Jet borrowed from.

 

[The Dice Man]

Loving the Mother

 

[kempos_kingz_05]

I saw wolfmother at falls on the weekend and i was blown away!!! they are eaisly one of the best live acts i've seen they had the biggest mosh pit and it was pumping

 

[CarterS]

Wow they have exploded havent they? Last time I saw them i went up the day of the concert and got tickets easily, no way that could happen again. Their album is the best thing i've heard in a while, i want some more singles so we can hear more b-sides! "The Earth's rotation around the sun" is a good one. Did anyone tape the abc special concert on them?

 

[The Dice Man]

Wow they have exploded havent they? Last time I saw them i went up the day of the concert and got tickets easily, no way that could happen again. Their album is the best thing i've heard in a while, i want some more singles so we can hear more b-sides! "The Earth's rotation around the sun" is a good one. Did anyone tape the abc special concert on them?

I havent been listening to much music at all lately and casually listen to JJJ and know they had been getting great reviews on teh Js, but just hadnt paid attention.

NYE at a mates and he put it on and my initial thought was 'how cool is this, it's liek The Who and Led Zep got in a time machine and have stepped into 2006 with attitude and all'. Now just waiting to pay day to buy it (this is an instance where the music is definitley worth buying).

Can easily see these guys cracking it big time throughout the world if they have a strong follow up.