Wolfmother @ House of Blues, Dallas, TX

For me, there are certain bands that just strike a chord whenever I hear one of their songs.  The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, White Stripes, et cetera.  Among those is the hard-hitting sounds of the Australian outfit, Wolfmother.  When these Aussies released their self-titled debut album, you knew it was going to be something special.  Born from the ashes of 70's riffs and style, Wolfmother were compared to the likes of Zeppelin and Sabbath.  With ringleader Andrew Stockdale at the helm, Wolfmother have gone through several lineup changes over the years but that hasn't stopped them from scorching stages and ringing ears.

At first glance, the House of Blues didn't seem like the perfect choice for Wolfmother.  Sure, the sound and lighting would be good but the overall ambiance didn't suit their raw format.  I would have preferred the Granada or more intimate show at Tree's; the show had a good attendance but it was nowhere near selling out.  But nonetheless, the band embraced the Dallas crowd and ripped through a wild and fun-filled 75-minute set.  The bulk of the set came from their 2005 debut, while six tracks were taken from their latest effort, New Crown.  On the shoulders of mixed reviews, the New Crown material held up in a live setting, taking on new life from its uninspired studio mixing.  The band even threw in a brand new song (its first live performance) with the given title, "I Ain't Got No."  But it was the classic Wolfmother material, songs like "Woman", "Love Train" and "New Moon Rising", that drew the most cheers.  Ending with "Joker & the Thief" put the exclamation point on the evening.  I had never seen Wolfmother before this night and I'm finally glad I could write them off my bucket list.  It was a great time.  Photos of the show are below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

enjoy.