Wolf Law at the Cambridge Rock Festival - 7th August 2010
Reviewed by Martin Stapleton
It's a very early Saturday morning start (8am) and departure from Bedford for the town's premier sleazoid rock 'n' rollers Wolf Law. The 'wolf-mobile' is fuelled up and ready to take the lads for the short journey to Cambridge, and with it the Seventh Annual Rock Festival. It's quite a prestigious gig for a band who have now been together for nearly five years. At present, they are searching for a full time bass player. Today's slot is being covered by original member Anthony Cooper. The rest of Wolf Law are Sean Morris (vocals, guitar), Roy Townsend (guitar, backing vocals) and 'The Real Lee' (drums).
A large, spacious stage, a professional sound check, the signs looked good and it proved to be the case. With an appearance last week on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, the boys have acquainted themselves well with the locals. The music from "2001: A Space Odyssey" strikes up as the band assemble onstage. They prepare to give us forty minutes of high octane rock 'n' roll. Could Wolf Law live up to this anthemic intro?
Conservatively, they begin with "Obey the law". It's one of the first songs they ever wrote. Complete with it's singalong chorus, it immediately catches the ear of the early arrivals, even at this time of just past eleven o' clock! Without pausing for breath, they launch straight into the more recent "Man like you". It's slightly semi-hardcore feel is certainly a wake-up call to those unfamiliar with Wolf Law's work. With confidence rising, Sean interacts with the crowd by making some observational comments about the many "tents" on site at this festival.
One of the main ingredients of this band's live show is the chemistry between the two songwriters. It's always integral to the broad dynamics of Wolf Law, and probably none more so than on "Crucified". As Sean screams out "wanna be crucified", Roy retorts with "no way outta here!". Feeling at ease with himself, the tattooed frontman describes "Lightning strikes twice" as "a weird one". In fact, in keeping with this festival, I find it a tad more classic rock. Anyone who has spent time in the company of this fun loving collective fully knows that they like a drink or six! "Swinging the bottle" reflects this, while "Chase down the day" deals with "the aftermath, the effect of it". The slightly country influenced "State of the nation" precedes "Hardwired and hellbent", a strong finale and a track from their current EP. It's good to report that Wolf Law continue to exude charisma, excitement, and a real vitality in their live shows.