By James Queralt If there’s one thing you can say with confidence about London-based three (formerly four) piece Mt. Wolf, it’s that they have tackled their enforced new musical direction head on, by wearing their contemporary musical influences on their sleeve. Following the band’s split at the end of 2013 just as they were beginning to gain serious momentum, they’ve returned with full debut album Aetherlight and a UK tour culminating at London’s Scala under their belts. One key figure is missing, however. Former lead vocalist Kate Sproule, whose ethereal tones contributed to the band’s sound often being characterized as ‘dreamfolk,’ did not return following the band’s hiatus, choosing instead to embark upon a solo career. [caption id=“attachment_36619” align=“aligncenter” width=“708”]
Mt. Wolf at The Bullingdon[/caption] While this was once seen as a massive blow to the band’s creative evolution, they now confidently state on their website that ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Like a sublime three-headed phoenix rising from the ashes, Mt. Wolf have responded to 2014’s hiatus and come back more united, wiser and better.’ Tonight, in terms of the latter category at least, this was up to the Bullingdon crowd to decide. Taking on the responsibility of providing the band’s vocals these days is South Londoner Sebastian ‘Bassi’ Fox, and his stage presence immediately struck from the get-go. Everything from his thick covering of facial hair to his confident falsetto had a hint of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon about it – clearly himself a massive influence on the band’s acoustic-prickled electronica, which was strikingly evident as 2017’s ‘Hamburg’ trickled out into the crowd. This post-breakup track, characterised by a haunting instrumental acoustic break, would not have sounded out of place on Vernon’s masterful debut record, 2007’s For Emma, Forever Ago. Fox’s falsetto is a strange one though, and certainly invites other, less overt, comparisons. He has previously cited a keen interest in modern classical music, including instrumental film scores by the likes of Hans Zimmer. For me, the ghostly, echoing vocals on ‘Hex’ – another breakup track that deals with the emotion of “peeling your skin” away from someone, knowing it would “be for the last time” – were reminiscent of one of Zimmer’s most notable collaborators, Australian songstress Lisa Gerrard, as they whistled through the gaps in the relatively sparse Bully audience over – or perhaps under – a post-rocky drum build-up. [caption id=“attachment_36618” align=“aligncenter” width=“713”]
Mt. Wolf at The Bullingdon[/caption] That post-rock sound is not exclusive to ‘Hex,’ being favoured largely throughout Aetherlight and indeed during this set. ‘Soteria,’ for example, bore a vocal/instrumental dynamic similar to Icelandic powerhouses Sigur Rós, as Al Mitchell’s building drums once again dictated the pace of the track’s flourish. This culminated in a rendition of the brilliant ‘Starliner II:’ an 8-minute instrumental track that utilises each of the band members’ best skills to their premium, from Stevie McMinn’s passionate acoustic strumming to their excellent session keyboard player, who occasionally provided female vocal support during the set. At its best, this track sounded like Mogwai in their prime. Where the audience had previously found themselves a bit distracted occasionally during the performance, all eyes were now on Mt Wolf, and it felt as though the entire room moved forward so as to be drenched by this expansive wave of sound. This, surely a platform on which to build as they continue to seek out their niche post-Sproule. ‘Bassi’ is clearly a guy whose modern musical tastes influence his own creations massively, and my intention to find out more about those from him after the show fell at the first hurdle somewhat as we instead ended up spending 10 minutes gushing over our shared love for The National. I imagine for someone as passionate about his craft as him, this barely scratches the surface. It’ll be interesting to see how Mt. Wolf’s deep influence pool inspires any new material or, better yet, whether they can kick on and become that influence for other aspiring young indie bands.
