Wolf & Cub are a psychedelic rock band from Adelaide, Australia. Three of the original members hail from Port Augusta. The four-piece were signed to record label 4AD, which make use of two drummers. This allows the percussive elements of their music to feature more prominently alongside the guitar. Their name derives from a comic from Japan, "Lone Wolf and Cub". Wolf & Cub signed to Last Gang records in North America. Their third studio album, Heavy Weight, was released in 2013.
Wolf & Cub | |
|---|---|
 Left to right: Joel Byrne, Joel Carey, Marvin Hammond and Thomas Mayhew Sydney, 5 August 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Genres | Psychedelic rock |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Dot Dash, 4AD |
| Members | Joel Byrne Jonathan Boulet Wade Keighran Brock Fitzgerald |
| Past members | Adam Edwards Tom Mayhew Marvin Hammond Joel Carey |
| Website | Official website |
History
editWolf & Cub formed in 2002 in Adelaide with Joel Byrne on lead vocals and guitar, Adam Edwards on drums and percussion, and Thomas Mayhew on bass guitar. Byrne, Edwards and Mayhew had met at high school in Port Augusta.[1] Joel Carey met Byrne at university, he joined initially just on percussion, later becoming the second drummer. After playing regularly around Adelaide the band signed to an Australian label, Dot Dash Recordings, with representation from Remote Control Records. On 1 November 2004 they released their first EP, Wolf & Cub, with five tracks, including "Thousand Cuts".[2][3] It was co-produced by the band with Matt Hills in April that year.[3]
In 2005 a 7" record featuring "Thousand Cuts" was released in the United Kingdom, which was played on the Zane Lowe and Steve Lamacq radio shows on the BBC. The track was heard by producer Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, The Futureheads), who took it into the studio and recorded the Phones Remix. This became a white label 12" version and later became John Kennedy's Single of the Week on XFM. They signed to international label, 4AD, in September and played in a string of London shows for 4AD's 25th Anniversary with The Breeders in November. In October 2005 the band released their second EP, Steal Their Gold, which included "Thousand Cuts" (Phones Slasher Remix).[4] They toured Japan and the UK. "Steal Their Gold" was named Single of the Week status by Lamacq and the band received greater attention from the UK press.[5]
In Australia, the band performed with TV on the Radio, The Killers, The Music, Wolfmother, Queens of the Stone Age (handpicked by Josh Homme[6]) and Death from Above 1979. The quartet played in multiple festivals, such as Big Day Out and Homebake, and underwent two nationwide tours of Australia.[7] Work on Wolf & Cub's debut album, Vessels, began in April 2005: Hills co-produced with Tony Doogan.[8] It was released in Australia on 28 August 2006, which peaked in the ARIA Albums Chart top 100.[9] It received generally favourable responses from critics,[10] including becoming the fifth most favoured album of The Drum Media's editors and contributors for 2006. 4AD released the album internationally on 6 March 2007.[10] In the same month, the band toured the US playing at SXSW and a 4AD showcase.
Rock music you can dance to. Many have tried, some have come close, but none have got the formula right. Until now. Port Augusta's Wolf & Cub have definitely found the right ingredients and if driving bass lines, howling guitar and an eight limbed, two headed drummer is your thing, you should check them out.
-Adam Wilding, live review of the Annandale show, 29 September 2006, The Drum Media
On 20 May 2007, the band announced on their MySpace page that Edwards had left and that they were looking for a new drummer: "Well, just letting everyone know that it was Adam's last show on Saturday night at the Adelaide Uni Bar... We'd like to thank Adam for everything and wish him all the best in everything he's going to get up to".[11] On 8 July they announced the replacement drummer is Marvin Hammond from Adelaide band Artax Mission.[12]
In June 2008 Wolf & Cub released another EP, One to the Other, produced by Christopher Colonna from Bumblebeez. Their second studio album, Science and Sorcery followed on 18 April 2009, which peaked at No. 8 on the ARIA Hitseekers Albums Chart.[13]
In 2011 Brock Fitzgerald on drums and percussion and Wade Keighran on bass guitar (both formerly of The Scare) joined Byrne and Carey in a new line-up of Wolf & Cub. In 2012 they previewed their new direction with their single, "Salao". Their single "I Need More" appeared ahead of their third album, Heavy Weight (13 September 2013), it was recorded and produced by the band at Sydney's Linear studios, and mixed by Burke Reid (The Drones, PVT, Oh Mercy). It was made available digitally and in retail stores via MGM Distribution.
Members
editThis section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (April 2019) |
- Joel Byrne – vocals, electric guitar, percussion
- Jonathan Boulet – drums/percussion
- Wade Keighran – bass guitar
- Brock Fitzgerald – drums/percussion, keyboard, guitar
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [9] | ||
| Vessels |
|
72 |
| Science and Sorcery |
|
— |
| Heavy Weight |
|
— |
| Nil |
|
— |
EPs
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Wolf & Cub |
|
Singles
edit| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| "Thousand Cuts" | 2004 |
| "Steal Their Gold" | 2005 |
| "This Mess" | 2007 |
| "March of Clouds" | |
| "Seven Sevens" | 2008 |
| "One to the Other" | |
| "See the Light // All Through the Night" | 2012 |
Awards and nominations
editIn 2006 Wolf & Cub were awarded the Qantas Spirit of Youth award for music. SOYA is an Australian premier youth arts prize, recognising and rewarding outstanding young Australians. The band received a cheque for $5000 and $5000 in Qantas airline tickets.[14]
AIR Awards
editThe Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Vessels | Best Performing Independent Album | Nominated | [15][16] |
| themselves | Best Independent Artist | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | "One to the Other" | Best Independent Single/EP | Nominated | [17][16] |
| 2021 | Nil | Best Independent Heavy Album or EP | Nominated | [18][19] |
| 2022 | Dusk At The Watagan Forest Motel | Best Independent Heavy Album or EP | Won | [20][21] |
ARIA Music Awards
editThe ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007[22] | Vessels | Best Independent Release | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ Maxx, Denver (November 2013). "Wolf & Cub". Beat Magazine. Furst Media. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ^ "Releases :: Wolf & Cub". Australian Music Online. National Library of Australia. Archived from the original on 28 July 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ^ a b Wolf & Cub (2004). "Wolf & Cub". Dot Dash: Inertia Distribution. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ^ "Steal Their Gold – Wolf & Cub". AllMusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ^ "Biography". Wolf & Cub: Biography. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
- ^ "Wolf & Cub at 4AD". Wolf & Cub: Profile. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
- ^ "Wolf & Cub Australian Tour". Wolf & Cub: Official Website - News. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
- ^ Lymangrover, Jason. "Vessels – Wolf & Cub". AllMusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 7 July 2015. Note: user may have to click tabs for additional information, e.g. Credits.
- ^ a b "The ARIA Report" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 18 September 2006. pp. 6, 10, 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 September 2006. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Reviews for Vessels by Wolf & Cub". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ^ "Wolf & Cub new Drummer". Wolf & Cub MySpace. Retrieved 20 May 2007.
- ^ "New Drummer!". Wolf & Cub MySpace. Retrieved 6 August 2007.
- ^ "The ARIA Report" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 25 May 2009. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2009. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
- ^ "Wolf & Cub Win Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards". Wolf & Cub: Official Website - News. Retrieved 17 March 2007.
- ^ "2007 Jagermeister AIR Awards Nominees Revealed". inthemix. 2 November 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- ^ a b "History Wins". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- ^ "2008 AIR AWARDS NOMINEES ANNOUNCED". Music NSW. 11 November 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "Details confirmed for 2021 AIR Awards as nominees announced". The Music. 2 June 2021. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ "2021 AIR Awards Winners". Scenstr.com.au. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ "Nominees Announced For AIR Independent Music Awards 2022". musicfeeds. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ^ Tyler Jenke (5 August 2022). "Genesis Owusu Wins Big At The 2022 AIR Awards". MusicFeeds. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- ^ "ARIA Awards: Search results for 'Wolf & Cub'". ariaawards.com.au. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 7 July 2015.