Classic Marmite Band
It's Saturday night which can mean only one thing, Doctor Who's back on the telly. But forget that time traveller; he's got nothing on the Kaiser Chiefs support act as for one night only Alexandra Palace bears witness to the first performance by time travellers as emerging directly from the 1970s as Wolfmother take to the stage in all their prog rock splendour. Having been raised on what can only be assumed was a diet of Page and Plant and nurtured by the wonder of Black Sabbath, the Sydney trio have emerged in 2006 with the intent purpose to educate the kids of today in the glory of rock circa 1973.
With the biggest white 'fro in rock, front man Andrew Stockdale can't help but command the stage as his howling falsetto vocals screech through 'Woman' and latest single release 'Dimension'. A blur of psychedelic retro, Wolfmother's presence amazingly fills the stage as each guitar led track journeys further back into the rock vortex. The only contemporary influence displayed at all is The White Stripes during 'Apple Tree' but even this is not enough to derail yet another Page/Plant onslaught of screaming riffs mixed with hedonistic synths. This is the music to bring a tear to your Dad's eye; the type that will inevitably lead to that fatal phrase, "Now that's proper music". And as far as retro rivals go, Wolfmother are there, the only problem is they're your classic marmite band and your either going to love the very essence of them or detest them to the point of wanting to rip your ears off and so it's not surprising that the Australian trio receive a mixed reception. Wolfmother may ooze rock from every pore but after awhile one guitar riff sounds pretty much like the first and there's only so much of the 1970s you can really stomach; after all let's not forget that this was the decade that gave us Glam Rock and the Bay City Rollers proving that not everything was better back in the day.