LIVE: GUITAR WOLF – Perth, 4 April 2025

Shane | 6 April 2025 | Reply

LIVE: GUITAR WOLF – Perth, 4 April 2025
with Murderbirds and Zerodent
Seasonal Brewing Company, Maylands, Western Australia
Reviewe & photos by Shane Pinnegar

I’m going to bandy around words like manic, hyper, frenzied and more in a few moments – but before we get to Guitar Wolf, we have two local supports who both delivered the goods.

The Joker-faced, double bass-sporting, keyboard-enhanced Murderbirds open the night with a potent and intense serve of punkabilly with a sprinkle of Dead Kennedys and a cowpunk garnish. They’re committed to what they’re doing and it’s undeniably infectious, even on first listen. Bonus points for playing the keyboard on a wobbly ironing board, the powerhouse drummer, and playing the double bass like a cello more than once.

Zerodent are a hard sound to describe: a bit of this, a bit of that, all making something pretty unique. My references may be obscure to some but stylistically I’m getting some Television, Dave Warner’s From The Suburbs, Radio Birdman, The Only Ones, The Clash… and none of the above. All that matters is that they’re damn good and keep the crowd’s interest.

Spirits are amped to Eleven by the time Japanese punk legends Guitar Wolf swagger confidently on-stage in head to toe black leather and shades, only to find mainman Seiji’s guitar amp not set-up. A few minutes of anti climax, then they each skol a beer and ker-fkn-boom, they are off, thrusters on full.

Seiji has long described Guitar Wolf as ‘jet rock n’ roll’, and it’s an apt description – as are the adjectives I suggested earlier: manic, hyper, frenzied and more. They don’t so much play as assault their instruments. They don’t so much perform as pummel the crowd into submission with volume and unbridled energy. To be fair, a portion of the crowd are doing more than enough pummelling of their own, taking advantage of the complete absence of security to claim most of the front of the stage as their own moshpit with no regard for anyone wanting to watch the show.

As all this manic chaos goes on, songs crash over us like waves on a stormy beach. Summertime Blues gets the full force Guitar Wolf treatment, bassist Gotz surfs through the crowd while Takuro holds down the beat and looks as cool and aloof as anyone you’ve ever seen, and Seiji plucks a crowd member onto the stage and hands her his guitar. I’ve no idea of she knew them or it was a random choice, but she did a great job, riffing hard and invoking a maelstrom of feedback, inspiring the frontman to crowd surf before wrestling her to the ground, reclaiming his instrument and tossing her atop the moshers to surf awhile.

It’s pure, unbridled rock n’ roll chaos in the finest, theatrical fashion, and it’s a gig which will stay in the memory for a very long time. If you missed ’em – make sure they’re on your bucket list next time.