Wolfmother @ The Refectory
By Ben Daure
Welcome to the MTV2 Spanking New music Tour, tonight we have a real treat for you, with performances from Fields, ¡Forward, Russia! and of course the phenomenal Wolfmother.
First on Tonight are The Maccabees, however we didn't get inside in time to see them and I do apologise. So instead here are Fields, an Anglo-Icelandic indie electro band.
It's very hard to put into words Fields' performance. The band were incredible, fantastic crowd pleasers with well-produced and well put together songs, delivering real soul and power.
Fields were simply outstanding - they put on a top notch show that lasted from beginning to end, they interacted with the crowd as if Nick (lead vocals / guitar) had known us for years, and showed real stage charisma.
Fields played music that instantaneously grabbed attention and kept it.
The band had a very distinct sound that I can only put down as powerful electro/indie/rock (I hate using genres but I can't think of another way to describe them). Their music was played as if they really actually cared about what people were hearing (unlike some bands) and it obviously showed. If I had to compare them to anyone... well, I wouldn't! Fields are in a league of their own and put on a first class show. Well done and I hope to see you guys again soon. If you didn't get the hint - I highly recommend this band!
Next on tonight are ¡Forward, Russia! Now I know (or at least I think I do) that a lot of people like ¡Forward, Russia! Me? Well, personally I didn't particularly like them the last time I saw them, however I really wanted to try see what people saw in ¡Forward, Russia! as I didn't want to miss out, basically, so here is how it went.
When the band came on stage there was a huge roar all around me and you could really tell that a lot of people (most of the room) seem very, very excited about them. As ¡Forward, Russia! go into their first song the room goes nuts and you can see the fans simply going wild whilst shouting every word to every song.
¡Forward, Russia! poured their heart and their soul into this set and it really showed. The performance was top notch and the band themselves seem to be enjoying the show just as much as the fans (which I think really does help).
However I still couldn't see what people saw in their music. I can appreciate that people may like them but I just simply can't see the appeal, there is nothing displeasing about their music but I cant see anything that makes me want to listen to them. I thought they were just a bit too ... emo, but slightly better. Not much better though, and for people who want to pounce on the fact that I am shoving all emo music into one band because I think it sounds the same, in my opinion it does!
All in all ¡Forward, Russia!'s performance was, for the most part, very good for the majority of the room, with the most entertaining bit being when Tom dedicated a song to the two guys who watched a purple thing fall from the roof onto someone's head and just left it there. It's nice to know bands notice fans, however not my cup of tea.
Now onto the moment you have all been waiting for, yes that's right, Wolfmother! Now applauses for the night had been, on a scale of 1-10, around a 7 or an 8, which is not bad, unless of course you're comparing it to when Wolfmother took the stage. I am going to say that it was in the region of 2...Thousand (ooohhh the suspense). The room simply went nuts; you know that surge that happens on the last band at a festival, well it paid a visit to the Leeds Uni tonight. Absolutely everyone just wanted to get that one extra inch closer to the absolute "to be legends" in front of us.
Wolfmother blew away any performance that night with their fantastic Jimi Hendrix / Led Zeppelin vibe. If anyone saw them at Leeds Festival and thought they were good then you would be in for a real treat tonight. They quite simply kicked the shit out of that performance. Call it cliché, call it typical, call it whatever you want but this band is the next Jimi Hendrix.
Wolfmother poured their heart and soul into every jaw-dropping song, such as "Apple Tree", "Woman" and "White Unicorn". It didn't stop there either; during each song Andrew would pull a new trick out of his hat, whether it be throwing his guitar in the air, catching it and continuing with his song; playing mind blowing solo one after another; or even playing his guitar on the microphone stand. They simply have what it takes no matter what anyone says.
Wolfmother played to the crowd as if we were all their children, never leaving us waiting but always wanting more, and each and every time they gave it to us.
They truly looked like this was their goal on this planet; this is what these guys were put here for. When we thought it was all over they did it again, to a tremendous roar Wolfmother once again returned to give us their goodbyes with two more songs including the undeniably brilliant "Joker and the Thief". This was by far the best performance I have ever seen at the University ever and if you haven't seen Wolfmother I recommend with every bone in my body that you take some time out and pop in to see a show, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
