When I went to NYC's CMJ New Music Festival last September, Australian proto-metal trio Wolfmother wasn't yet at the top of everybody's list of bands to see. The group was at least on the list, however, and delivered a marvelous metalcore-hangover-dissolving blast of Blue Cheer/Black Sabbath-inspired tunes that straddled the line between the '60s and '70s, and showed no interest whatsoever in updating, well, anything, really. By this year's South by Southwest festival, the group had been signed to Interscope, and was one of that shindig's biggest attractions. This will be the threesome's first Bay area stop since its self-titled American debut dropped back in May, and the stoner-rock fans have been popping their knuckles in devil-horns-flipping anticipation for months. Highly recommended. Wolfmother w/The Mess Hall, Sat., Sept. 16, 8 p.m., Jannus Landing, 16 Second St., St. Petersburg, $15/$18, 727-895-3045.
This article appears in Sep 13-19, 2006.