Gig review: DEWOLFF – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Thursday 5 January 2023

January 10th, 2023 by jason

New Album – Love, Death & In Between (Album Launch Party Gig)

GRTR! has been trumpeting the extraordinarily versatile southern rock, psychedelic/blues uber-combo, DeWolff, for years now and they have really excelled themselves with their new album, “Love, Death & In Between” which hits the stores 3^rd February.

Hailing from the Dutch Delta, the brothers van de Poel (Pablo on guitars/lead vocals and Luka thumping the tubs AND vocals) and the man with easily the best hair in rock music, Robin Piso, (hammering the Hammond (AND vocals) sold out Amsterdam’s iconic Paradiso for the album launch gig.

Joined on stage by the Broken Brass power-trio horn section, percussionist Marnix Wilmink, former-Dawn Brothers bass man/songster, Levi Vis, and the outrageously-synchronized, cat-suited backing vocalists….let’s christen them the “Delectable DeWolff Dolls”….the ten musicians brought back memories of Leon Russell’s Asylum Choir and put on a stunning show.

The trajectory of this band is stellar – from the wham-bam excellence of 2018’s “Thrust” album, through the individually-supreme offerings, “Tascam Tapes” and “Wolffpack”, to live performances with the Metropole Orkest, their Double Cream soul collaboration with The Dawn Brothers and 2022’s European tour support slot with the Black Crowes, DeWolff are focused, ridiculously-talented and just fucking great. (Having seen two of those shows, I happen to know they were hugely appreciated by the fans AND the headliner alike).

If you are at all moved by Chicago’s classic 25-or-6-to-4, the big band-sounding blues rock of the late ‘60s/early ‘70s (think Big Brother and the Holding Company, Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Blood, Sweat and Tears), then “Love, Death & In Between” is the album you’ve been waiting for maybe fifty years.

There is really so much to dig in this album – that full-to-bursting sound of horns and back-up vocals complementing Pablo’s sumptuous blues licks and riffs as heavy as a concrete hippo (oh yeah, and he high-kicks like Dave Lee Roth !).

Piso caresses his Hammond keys, sometimes adding texture and warmth and then, at times, manically attacking the deck as if to throw the whole rig down the stairs. Probably the most multi-talented drummer since Queen’s Roger Taylor, Luka van de Poel drives the band and also features on lead and backing vocals – right and left brain ? No, a musicians brain.

Opener “Night Train” has a frenetic horn/vocal and ear-worm of a riff – essential foreplay for the whole album. “Message For My Baby” sees Pablo channelling his inner Hendrix and morphing the track into a James Brown funk-out finale.

There is orgasmic, reach-for-the-heavens gospel, time-changes that will spin your mind and jammed outros that could finish a Tarantino movie. “Jacky Go To Sleep” would have been number one in 1975. New Orleans swing and I think I heard Bossa Nova at one point.

One whole side of the album, and the Paradiso gig’s closer, is hard to describe but here goes; “Rosita” is a 16 minute epic (which was 19 minutes long at the gig – lucky us !) mixing up Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, a flavour of Meatloaf, the guts of a Free/Skynyrd riff, and an Allman Brothers vibe, this is DeWolff’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

Hard to believe ? I know. I mean you gotta see these guys to believe it. Be there on 2^nd March at the 100 Club. I got my album signed last week for my Gandchildren because – trust me – people will be talking about DeWolff long after I’m gone. With friends like these, who needs help? *****

Review by Mark ‘Mad Dog’ Shaw

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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NEW MONARCH Paper Noose (indie)
AD INFINITUM Surrender (Napalm Records)
KROOKED TONGUE Nothing Ever Grows (indie)
TRUCKER DIABLO Show Me The Way (Big Unit Records)

Featured Albums w/c 16 September 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)