Who ever said rhythm and blues was dead? It's alive, and kicking some serious indie ass in the form of Aussie trio Wolfmother. Riding high on a wave of success including a nearing platinum debut album and global sell out live shows, Wolf-mania has taken hold. Notion caught up with the leader of the pack backstage at this year's Reading festival to talk about the Jackass boys, spreading Wolf love and how they're coping with their newfound fame...

Sprawled outside the press tent on the grass, lead singer and Wolfmother spokesman, Andrew Stockdale looks every inch the 70s rock star. All big hair, flares and waistcoat he's reminiscent of a present day Jim Morrison, without the heinous alcohol addiction of course.

So how was the Reading experience for the band? "It's been really good," drawls Andrew. "Yeah I like it. The festival seems like it's got a bit more of an artistic feel to it. Loads of interesting bands playing too." Wolfmother being one of those bands. Plenty of festival goers were adorning Wolfmother t-shirts all over the site, and their tracks were blasting from many a stereo back at the campsite. Their live show at Reading was pretty impressive too. Taking the slot just after midday on the main stage they pulled a monstrous crowd of everyone from middle-aged Slayer fans to under-aged scenesters. Their stadium rock sound is accessible to pretty much everyone. But how did Andrew think it went? "I got woken up in my bunk and it was like two hours til showtime, so I quickly had something to eat and a shower then walked onto the stage, but I think we managed to get the ball rolling!" That they certainly did. Within seconds they had managed to whip the baying throng of fans into a frenzy. Do the band get nerves before playing in front of these huge crowds? "Yeah I was a bit nervous," admits Andrew "I really wanted to do a good show. I wanted it to go well and come across the right way..." But there’s a cure for those pre-gig jitters, "Just drink a lot!" Andrew laughs "And hang out with the guys, crack a few jokes. Try to relax a bit and then just kind of go for it!"

But life wasn't always about album sales, beer and gigs. Each of the Wolfmother threesome had respectable responsible jobs before the band formed. Drummer Myles was a graphics whizz, bass player and Hammond organist Chris worked in all things digital whilst Andrew was a successful exhibiting photographer. So how did Wolfmother come to fruition? Andrew muses, "I kind of lost interest in what I was doing with photography. Like creatively I ran out of options and things to do. So I started playing the acoustic guitar at home and recording some tracks. I did a demo of acoustic songs, and for me that was like a trip just to record a song, all the lyrics and the vocals. I was like - hey check this out I've written a song!" The whirling riff-infused rock anthem 'Woman' was on that said demo, and attracted the interest of a friend who offered Andrew his first gig, "So I rang up the guys and said "look I've got this show coming up - do you want to learn these songs?" We had two weeks! So we got together and did it, that was two years ago." Pretty good going. "Like we were all jamming before, but that was the transition. As when you jam there's no rules. But that was the first experience we had as a group." Wolfmother was born and the band quickly released an independent EP that won over friends and fans alike. An A&R frenzy ensued and the band signed to Island, which they now call their home.

Rave reviews, packed out shows and worldwide praise quickly followed. But with all this fame beckoning and a gold album under his band's belt does Andrew think he's changed at all? "Erm. For some reason I think that maybe I'm a little bit more at peace with myself because I’ve done something I want to do. And also I've had a lot of time to think to myself, like on planes and driving and things like that... you have a lot of time to work out what you’re about y'know. And I think maybe before I had so much pressure to do other things I couldn't do that. Any time I have spare now I use it to get ideas for music and songs." Ahh, the sweet life of a rock star. There must be some cons to this lifestyle though? "It's just like anyone else’s life," ponders Andrew "Sometimes you wake up and you’re like "I don’t want to go to work." You can't want to do it every day of the week. It's kind of like a discipline. You've got to have that drive, and you've got to want to do it. So you force yourself to do it sometimes and when you finish you’re like yeah that's fucking cool, that’s great."

Both press and fans have readily made comparisons to legends Led Zeppelin. With their stadium sounding guitars screaming out rolling riffs over an organ backdrop these three rock gods are the modern day version of that Page and Plant supergroup. But what does Andrew think of the association? "I think they're a great band and it's a good reference point to be compared with." Not half. However Wolfmother are already rock gods in their own right. And are being championed as such, "It's a great honour to have that label bestowed upon us, hopefully we can do it justice and live up to it!" smiles Andrew. Well if 2006 is anything to go by they're definitely living up to the name. So with one very successful debut album on their side the future's looking bright for the band, and they’re already busy writing new tracks for the next one. Many bands choose to go down a more experimental route after a few albums, for example take Radiohead who after 'OK Computer' totally changed direction and started using samplers and computers to create their sound. Is this something we might see happening to Wolfmother later down the line? "Maybe, but not too much. I do like Radiohead and I like the Beatles and the way they reinvented themselves. But I also like bands like AC/DC where every album for the past 20 years is like another variation of the same riff," Andrew laughs. "That's cool too you know. Because there's so many possibilities, infinite possibilities within a guitar." And Andrew makes use of his instrument in the best possible manner on stage with Pete Townshend-esque windmills and guttural feedback. There's no limit to the guitar sounds and noises that infiltrate Wolfmother's tracks. Anyone who has seen them live will know that the band are the epitome of rock and roll on stage, but how do they fare off stage? Any rock star antics to speak of? "Hmm," muses Andrew, "let's see what happens. That's a spanner in the works I think." Watch this space then.

The group also recently teamed up with MTV legends Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O from Jackass. Latest single 'Joker and the Thief' features on the new Jackass movie and the lads are also in the track's video. "They were cool," smirks Andrew "They're living the dream! The cool thing with those guys is that like nothing would embarrass them. The first thing Johnny said to me was "Steve-O is a very famous premature ejaculator" and Steve-O's like "I figure it's a compliment to the woman," laughs Andrew. "And the Wee-man he's cool too. He bought out a birthday cake for me for my birthday in Sydney. He was great." And how does it feel to have the prestiged lead track on the new Jackass film? "I think it's perfect. It’s like 'The Joker and the Thief' is almost meant to be for them. They're like jokers y'know, like the jesters of the modern era so the song fits in perfectly."

So not only content with mega-sized album sales, Wolfmother are now taking on television, they truly are bona fide rock stars with their fingers in all the pies. And good luck to them, their music is epic and their live performances enigmatic and that's two very important boxes ticked in my book. But what’s the final word from Andrew to his fans? "Keep spreading the wolf love!" We will Andrew, we sure will.

 

NEW SINGLE 'LOVE TRAIN' IS AVAILABLE NOW. SEE THEM LIVE TOURING THE UK IN NOVEMBER.