It’s four years since Wolfmother’s self-titled debut hit the shelves in 2005. In that time, it seems like much has happened. For one thing, albums don’t really ‘hit the shelves’ anymore; more like ‘hit the download button’. It’s been out with guitars and in with the synths and, these days (unlike the heady days of 2005), it’s rare to see a band made up of more than two people.

Wolfmother, though, were never really a band to adhere much to trends. After their much publicised split, they’re back and are once again doing pretty well what it says on the tin, if the tins says ‘rock hard’ that is; ‘rock hard and do a bloody good impression of Led Zeppelin’. Having parted company with original members, Chris Ross and Myles Heskett, Wolfmother El-Presidente, Andrew Stockdale, has incorporated new boys, Ian Peres (bass/keyboards), Aidan Nemeth (guitar), and Dave Atkins (drums) and releases a new album, Cosmic Egg, this month. ltd caught up with Stockdale on tour down under…


G’day! How’s it going?
Really well, thanks!

The new album’s out in October. How does it sound?
Like Wolfmother I reckon. Like true, from your gut, rock ‘n’ roll music!

It’s been a long time in the making. Was it a smooth recording process?
The album was produced by Alan Moulder. It was very exciting for me to get to work with someone who’s produced some of my favourite albums and worked with some of my favourite artists. We recorded almost everything at two studios called Sunset Sound and Sound City, both in Los Angeles. It was a pretty smooth process because we had all of the songs written by the time we got into the studio.

It’s obviously a new line-up now. How has that changed the dynamic of the band?
It goes without saying that it feels like a new band in that they’re different people, but these guys are so talented; we all vibed right off and I think our live show is better than ever.

What have the newbies brought to the table? How have they changed the sound?
I don’t think they’ve ‘changed’ the sound, but they’re all three incredible musicians and with that I think they just give the music more depth and power - you can really feel it now in our live shows. The four of us on stage sometimes lose ourselves in a song and you’ll end up with an epic eight-minute rendition of ‘White Unicorn’ or ‘New Moon Rising’.

How did you meet the new guys?
Just around home in Australia, the musical community there is pretty small so talent stands out – or you could say we cosmically found each other.

How does the writing process work?
I write the songs. Of course once we’re in the studio there are some collaborations on fills and this and that, but the conception, lyrics and melodies start with me.

There are a lot of Australian bands making a big impact in England at the moment. Why do you think that is?
I think the English have an appreciation for true rock ‘n’ roll and that’s something we have down here as well. There are a lot of great bands in Australia and we all listen to and support each other, so once you get introduced to one and they start talking to the media essentially we’re always asked ‘what bands do you listen to’ and we end up divulging all the secret little gems we’ve been rocking our asses to down here for years.

Do you feel partly responsible for that, having paved the way along with the likes of Jet and The Vines?
No – I’m not even sure which of us was ‘found’ first. Those are all great bands so I don’t think any of us could take responsibility for one another. I just think the world did what they do, they found one amazing band and quickly mined the country for all the talent they could find – I mean Australians are everywhere now.

Why did the other guys leave? Are you still in touch?
Not everyone’s path leads in the same direction. I think it took us achieving the success that we did right away – especially in the world of music – to amplify the sacrifices that are required. This life isn’t for everyone.

Wolfmother play The Coronet on 21 October