Australian rockers Wolfmother returned to Adelaide playing The Gov on Sunday night (29 March).
Support acts Stiff Necks provided an upbeat punk sorta vibe. Definitely brought the energy to start the night. Standout was a comical song called 'Mastabater'.
They ended their set with an instant classic 'Modra', about '90s AFL star Tony Modra. These guys were an unusual choice to support, but the energy and vibe they brought showed me otherwise.
Stiff Necks - image © Thomas Jackson
Then it was time for Andrew Stockdale and his latest incarnation of Wolfmother. So good. As someone who wasn't a super fan of their music, every song was great.
Old-school rock, three piece, big sound. I've seen some other artists that rely on dancers, crazy lighting and all the bells and whistles.
While I do appreciate it, it was so incredible seeing a band put on a show without all that, and still kept the crowd engaged from the start, right to the very end. No gimmicks. No special effects. Just straight up rock & roll.
Wolfmother - image © Thomas Jackson
The opening track 'Dimension' was a perfect show starter. Exemplifying everything I knew about Wolfmother, and to put it simply, commanding our attention from the get go.
The first song I recognised was 'Woman'. When I've heard it on the radio, it didn't have quite the same hook as the more well known 'Joker & The Thief', but it was good. Hearing it live was a whole different experience. Andrew's trademark vocals on this song is absolutely incredible.
It's hard to pin-point any real standouts (outside of the two songs I knew) because every song was of such a high calibre. Having said that, 'Mind's Eye' would be a standout personally. I'd not heard it before, but it was a more ballad-style song, and just hooked me in from the very start.
Wolfmother - image © Thomas Jackson
So much crowd interaction and crowd participation too. Stockdale and newest members James Wassenaar (bass) and Brett 'Wolfie' Wolfenden (drums) had the audience eating out of their hand.
When they'd signal for us to clap or scream, there was no hesitation. The whole crowd, young and old, was all in. It was phenomenal, and showed incredible showmanship to have that kind of energy to literally move the entire crowd.
They ended their set with the now classic 'Joker & The Thief'. The whole crowd erupted in cheers. It was such an electric feeling. This has been a song for me that I could listen to any time and it would have me rocking out. Tonight was different. Hearing it live was like they turned the vibe, the energy, the electricity of the song up a couple of notches.
Wolfmother - image © Thomas Jackson
Honestly this show reminded me of how incredible Australian music, particularly Australian rock is! It's alive and well, and definitely in good hands with Wolfmother.
When the song finally came to a close, they put their instruments down and left the stage as truly rock & roll 'feedback' filled the room, which slowly built to a crowd chant: "One more song!"
They didn't disappoint, re-emerging and jumping into a fantastic rendition of the Led Zeppelin classic 'Rock And Roll'. It was such a great vibe, a room full of love and good people. Seeing people of all ages rocking out, was such a great feeling. They definitely converted me to a fan.
