Wolf and Cub - New Batteries

Wolf & Cub are a band from Adelaide but you wouldn't know it. They have, since their inception, gotten a lot of love from the international music press as well as being signed to a major American indie music label, 4AD. There, they share the hay with the Pixies, TV on the Radio and the Klaxons. On this label, they've released a few EPs and the full length Vessels album. For said debut, the band has been nominated for an ARIA in the category of Best Independent Release. In addition to all this they are also playing the Sounds in the Grounds festival supporting the likes of Goyte and Salmonella Dub. The Dwarf spoke to the laid back Joel Byrne recently. Despite the success of the band so far, his lazy Australian drawl betrayed no sign of the effects of fame.

Byrne is the main songwriter and takes the lead singer/guitarist role from that. As with any rock band, in addition to the guitar, there is bass (played by Thomas Mayhew) and drums. And it is here, with the rhythm section, that the story gets interesting. Wolf & Cub is all about drums. "We started out as a three piece and that sort of evolved to a four piece" Byrne explains. "We always felt there was something missing...trying to figure out what we were going to add to it, whether it be a guitarist, keyboard player or something. We chose a percussion player." This was the addition of a second drummer Joel Carey to the lupine mix assisting Adam Edwards’s battery. But during May in 2007, Edwards decided to move on and a replacement was hired: multi-instrumentalist Marvin Hammond. Although hesitant at first, Carey is excited about the new line up. "I was a bit worried about it, I've gone through various stages of apprehension. Maybe what made us good was the dynamic between these particular four people, another person was just going to wreck that...that it wasn't going to be the same. And it's not, but it's for the better." Hammond has indeed opened up the band's sound and Byrne gave a preview of the new material that is being trialed at the moment. "The two new tracks that we're probably going to play live have [Hammond] on saxophone. It's pretty exciting for us." Hammond also plays guitar and drums which extends the musical possibilities. "We've got two very distinct drummers now. We have the ability to write all different types of songs." These songs are currently being recorded for a new album which they hope will be bigger and better than their debut. "We were disappointed that [Vessels] wasn't as percussive as we had initially wanted to be. On the next one, when there are two drummers on the track, you're going to really feel it."

To listen to, Wolf & Cub have elements of new wave but with a strong rock core. Some music press have had problems nailing down their "sound". "When we were in Japan...they were wondering about how we felt about being part of the New Rave scene. What we thought of the Klaxons..." For the uninitiated the New Rave genre encompasses electro, punk and disco combining into the kind of music played by bands like Hot Chip or CSS. "I'm happy to have a live show that insinuates a new rave or rave feeling but we never saw any similarities between [the genre] and what we were doing."

At the time of writing, the ARIAs have been labelled "tedious" by Nick Cave about to be inducted into the hall of fame. But however dull the awards ceremony might be on the night, the Wolf & Cub are excited about their nomination. "It's really typical for an indie band to snub it, but we're really proud. Just to have our album acknowledged, it validates all the hard work that was put into it." But he's quick to add, "I wouldn't go if I wasn't nominated."

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