The buzz: When all else fails, play it loud. When that fails, play it louder. Such was the inescapable predicament of Wolf Mother at Vancouer’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre Saturday night as they regurgitated an array of 70s self-indulgent guitar jizz.
The Problem: It’s not that interesting. And it’s actually a damning indictment of the state of rock today that nearly 3,000 people paid hard-earned, recession-era dollars for an uninspired set list that barely elevated itself above pre-pubescent garage band antics.
Who does it better: Mars Volta can actually dip into that era and emerge with some interesting creations. And they garner a lot more respect for their efforts than the jerry-rigged line-up on stage Saturday.
Who are they: After the implosion which scattered original members across the musical cosmos, frontman Andrew Stockdale put the pieces back together with bassist/keyboardist Ian Peres, guitarist Aidan Nemeth and drummer Dave Atkins.
The stage show: Sparse and in direct contrast to Saturday’s sonic assault. There is always one who really wants to be the rockstar and Peres earned that dubious distinction with his hypnotic antics.
The fans: You get the sense the bridge and tunnel crowd don’t get out much.
The fist-pumping, head thrashing lot conjure the image of lemmings heading over the edge of musical oblivion. Surely someone should stop them, but really why?
Maybe the exception was: Woman. It’s mildly catchy hook was the only bright moment in an other wise onslaught of monotony and even then it was blasted at decibels only train engineers could appreciate.
Redeeming factor: As musicians, Wolf Mother is tight, their cohesion evident.
