“Plays like a highlight reel of what they do best: brooding guitar riffs, agile rhythm section, palpable mood swings and effects-shrouded vocals from leader Joel Byrne.” – NME, ★★★★
“A mighty return to form.” – Rolling Stone
“A solid, pulsing slice of noisy rock that makes us feel like they’d never left.”– Double J
“Released from the burden of expectation, that theme of acceptance combined with rapid stickwork, howling guitars and driving bass lines means ‘NIL’ goes close to Wolf & Cub’s best work to date.” – AU Review
“Though Wolf & Cub’s tunes retain some of their magic once recorded, you can’t replace the energy and sheer forcefulness they generate in a live setting.” – The Music
“The bearded boys are back, sounding darker and heavier than ever”– Grass FIres
Wolf & Cub are excited to finally announce an Australian tour to celebrate the release of their acclaimed fourth album NIL. The band has not undertaken a national tour since 2014, these upcoming dates marking the first official shows in support of NIL since its release in November 2020. In addition to gigs in Melbourne and Sydney, the band will be performing a very special immersive art show at the newly launched art space The Lab in their home-town of Adelaide. The Lab is a 300-capacity live music venue located within the new West End arts hub Light, and boasts a performance space lined with 50sqm of LED video screens. The audio-visual setup will allow the band to incorporate immersive visuals into their set which they’ll be designing together will local visual artist, Ryan Sahb whom the band has collaborated with on previous live shows. Tickets for all shows are available now via http://wolfandcub.com/shows
Wolf & Cub guitarist/front man Joel Byrne says of the upcoming shows, “Releasing our fourth album last November in the middle of a global pandemic meant that for obvious reasons we weren’t able to play any launch shows, which for us was like having our wings clipped. ‘NIL’ was recorded so we could play it live so not being able to tour it has kind of made the release feel a little… incomplete. As you can imagine we’re beyond excited to finally be bringing it to life on stage”.
Featuring the dark and abrasive first single ‘Blue State’ & searing second single ‘Close to the Edge’, NIL is Wolf & Cub‘s first long-form release since 2013’s Heavy Weight. Where Heavy Weight hinted at the band’s ability to traverse tougher terrain, NIL sees the band gravitate away from previous psych-rock offerings in favour of a masterful and revelatory heaviness.
Produced by the band and released on bandleader Joel Byrne’s own label Part Time Records, NIL was recorded in Sydney at a variety of locations across a protracted timeframe. The album is crushing in its intensity as Wolf & Cub embrace the freedom that comes with starting again and the confidence that comes from experience. “My measurement for Wolf & Cub’s success in my late-thirties is significantly different from what it was at the beginning of our career,” says Byrne. “There’s no burden of expectation here.”
NIL – Australian Album Tour Dates 2021 Presented by NICHEFriday 26 March – Russell’s Pizza, Willunga SA
Saturday 27 March – The Lab, Adelaide SA
Saturday 10 April – The Lansdowne, Sydney NSW
Thursday 15 April – Retreat Hotel, Melbourne VIC
Friday 16 April – Pelly Bar, Frankston VIC
Saturday 17 April – Barwon Club, Geelong VIC