Wolfmother are an Australian hard rock band from Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 2004, the group originally included vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross, and drummer Myles Heskett. The band has since gone through many lineup changes, centred around Stockdale as the sole constant member, with the current incarnation also including drummer Hamish Rosser (2012 to 2013, 2017 to 2019, and again since 2021) and bassist and keyboardist Bobby Poulton (2019 to early 2021, and again since late 2021).
History
edit2004–2013
editAndrew Stockdale, Chris Ross and Myles Heskett formed Wolfmother in 2004, after several years of jamming together.[1][2] The group released their critically and commercially successful self-titled debut album in Australia in 2005, with an international release following the next year.[2] Work soon began on a follow-up, however in August 2008 both Ross and Heskett left Wolfmother due to "irreconcilable personal and musical differences".[3] Stockdale recorded "Back Round" with Resin Dogs drummer Dave Atkins later in the year, before unveiling the full new lineup early the next year, which also included Ian Peres on bass and keyboards, and Aidan Nemeth on rhythm guitar.[4]
The second lineup's only album Cosmic Egg was released in 2009.[2] After touring in promotion of the release, Atkins left Wolfmother in March 2010.[5] The following month, he was replaced by Will Rockwell-Scott, formerly of the Mooney Suzuki.[6] The group began working on the follow-up to Cosmic Egg in early 2011,[7] however in February the next year it was announced that both Nemeth and Rockwell-Scott had recently quit the band.[8][9] They were replaced by Vin Steele and former Vines drummer Hamish Rosser, respectively, while multi-instrumentalist Elliott Hammond was also added.[2] Keep Moving was completed and released in 2013, credited as a Stockdale solo release.[10]
Since 2013
editStockdale revived the Wolfmother moniker just a few months after retiring it, before Rosser left the band in June 2013.[11] Hammond briefly took over on drums, before also leaving the next month.[11] A third drummer in as many months, Tony McCall, lasted only a few weeks in the group.[12] The band subsequently reverted to a trio with Steele switching over to drums, and in 2014 they released their third album New Crown.[13] Steele had left by early 2015, with the Voidz and former Nine Inch Nails drummer Alex Carapetis taking his place for tour dates in April and May.[14] For shows later in the year, Atkins took over on drums.[15] For their fourth album Victorious, Stockdale and Peres were joined by session drummers Josh Freese and Joey Waronker.[16] Carapetis returned for the subsequent Gypsy Caravan Tour.[14]
By June 2017, Hamish Rosser had returned to the band.[17] Long-term member Peres left Wolfmother in early 2018, committing to tour dates with Xavier Rudd instead.[18] For their appearance at Mojo Burning Festival in April, the band played with Dave Atkins on rhythm guitar, Hobo Magic bassist Jake Bennett and an extra keyboardist.[19][20] Starting in May, the band toured with bassist Brad Heald and keyboardist Lachy Doley,[21] the latter of whom was replaced later in the year by Katie McGurl.[18] From late 2019, the band's touring lineup comprised Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Bobby Poulton, and drummer Brett "Wolfie" Wolfenden.[22][23] In early 2021, Rosser returned again while bassist Alex McConnell joined the band. McConnell was replaced by a returning Poulton in November 2021, who has remained with the band since.
Members
editCurrent
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Stockdale | 2004–present |
|
all Wolfmother and Andrew Stockdale solo releases | |
| Hamish Rosser |
|
drums |
| |
| Bobby Poulton |
|
|
none to date |
Former
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Ross | 2004–2008 |
|
all Wolfmother releases from Wolfmother (2004) to Please Experience Wolfmother Live (2007) | |
| Myles Heskett | drums | |||
| Dave Atkins | 2008–2010 (touring 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2018) |
|
| |
| Ian Peres | 2009–2018 |
|
all Wolfmother and Andrew Stockdale releases from Cosmic Egg (2009) to "Happy Wolfmother's Day" (2018) | |
| Aidan Nemeth | 2009–2012 | rhythm guitar |
| |
| Will Rockwell-Scott | 2010–2011 | drums | "Cheap Sunglasses" (2011) ''Keep Moving'' (2013) | |
| Vin Steele | 2012–2015 |
|
| |
| Elliott Hammond | 2012–2013 |
|
Keep Moving (2013) | |
| Alexx McConnell | 2021 | bass | Rock Out (2021) – two tracks only |
.jpg)
Touring
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony McCall | 2013 | drums | McCall replaced Elliott Hammond on drums in July 2013, but within a few weeks had left the band again.[12] | |
| Alex Carapetis |
|
Carapetis replaced Vin Steele on drums for Groovin' the Moo in 2015 and returned later for the Gypsy Caravan Tour.[14] | ||
| Jake Bennett | 2018 | bass | Bennett performed bass at the Mojo Burning Festival in April 2018, alongside Dave Atkins on rhythm guitar.[19][20] | |
| Brad Heald | 2018–2019 | Heald replaced Ian Peres in early 2018 and remained a constant member of the band for over a year.[21] | ||
| Katie McGurl | 2018 | keyboards | McGurl took over from Doley in September 2018 for the band's North American tour, which ended in November.[18] | |
| Lachy Doley |
|
Doley joined Wolfmother's touring lineup alongside Brad Heald in May 2018, performing on their European tour.[21] | ||
| Leo Munoz | 2019 | Munoz took over from Doley in May 2019, and later Driessen took over starting with shows in July. | ||
| Julia "Juulz" Driessen | ||||
| Brett "Wolfie" Wolfenden | 2019–2021 | drums | Wolfenden took over from Rosser until early 2021, when Rosser returned. | |
| Jesper Albers | 2023 | Joined Andrew for the Wolfmother 2023 European Tour | ||
| Paul Dokman | bass | |||
| Seb Dokman | guitar |
.jpg)
Timeline
edit
Lineups
edit| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Early 2004 – August 2008 |
|
|
| November 2008 – January 2009 |
|
|
| January 2009 – March 2010 |
|
|
| April 2010 – November 2011 |
|
|
| December 2011 |
|
none |
| February 2012 – June 2013 |
|
|
| June – July 2013 |
|
|
| July – August 2013 |
|
none |
| August 2013 – April 2015 |
|
|
| April 2015 |
|
none |
| April – May 2015 |
| |
| September – December 2015 |
| |
| February 2016 – May 2017 |
| |
| June 2017 – early 2018 |
|
|
| April 2018 |
|
none |
| May – July 2018 |
| |
| September – November 2018 |
| |
| December 2018 – April 2019 |
| |
| May – June 2019 |
| |
| July 2019 – October 2019 |
| |
| October 2019 – early 2021 |
|
|
| Early 2021 – late 2021 |
|
|
| Late 2021 – present |
|
none to date |
References
edit- ^ Flowerday, Wayde (12 August 2014). "Interview: Wolfmother on South Africa, Independence, and John Lennon". Music Review. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Wolfmother: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ Solarski, Matthew (7 August 2008). "Bassist/Keyboardist and Drummer Exit Wolfmother". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ Cochrane, Greg (14 October 2009). "Wolfmother weather 'insane' period". BBC. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ Murray, Jim (30 March 2010). "Wolfmother Lose Another Drummer". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ "Wolfmother: Dave Atkins Quits". Ultimate Guitar. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ "Wolfmother announce three UK shows - ticket details". NME. 17 March 2011. Archived from the original on 21 March 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ "Andrew Stockdale: Wolfmother Lineup Changes "Not My Fault"". rockdirt.com. 28 May 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ Pusey, André (24 February 2012). "Wolfmother in Turmoil Again: Members Leave, Record Labels Run". The Original Wolfmother Fan Site. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (25 April 2013). "Andrew Stockdale Kills Off Wolfmother Name, New Solo Album Out Soon: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ a b Newstead, Al (24 July 2013). "Reformed Wolfmother Hits Speedbump As Members Walk Out". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Wolfmother Drummer Quits Only a Few Weeks After Joining Band". Alternative Nation. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2019.[dead link]
- ^ Giffin, Brian (4 May 2015). Encyclopaedia of Australian Heavy Metal. Lulu.com. p. 2305. ISBN 978-0994320612. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ a b c Armstrong, Sam (19 February 2016). "Howlin' Wolfmother: Rock Icons Return 'Victorious'". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ Brown, Tobias J. (11 September 2015). "Concert Review: Wolfmother Headlines Soundrenaline At GWK". Coconuts Bali. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ Baltin, Steve (19 November 2015). "New Wolfmother! Band Shares Details of 2016 Album (Exclusive)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ Moodie, Shawn (11 June 2017). "In Review: Wolfmother at the Powerstation 9/6/2017". The Speakeasy. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ a b c "Wolfmother Frontman Andrew Stockdale releases new solo album. Wolfmother tours US". Ultimate Guitar. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Wolfmother Concert Setlist at Mojo Burning Festival 2018 on April 14, 2018". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Psyched to be playing The Mojo Burning Festival this Saturday..." Facebook. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ a b c "Wolfmother". Marquee Theatre. 21 September 2018. Archived from the original on February 22, 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ Milligan, Nick (10 November 2019). "Review: Wolfmother electrify Newy as Scene & Heard dishes up another nostalgia-soaked lineup". Newcastle Live. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ "Wolfmother Release 2 New Singles + Unveil Album's Worth of Unreleased Material". Ultimate Guitar. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2020.