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Similar to buses all turning up at once after a long wait, Dutch rock ‘n’ soul trio DeWolff are on their third trip to the UK in eighteen months or so, making it a few years to remembering for their army of fans who had to wait what must have seemed like an eternity to catch the band on UK soil. The fans’ patience was rewarded by well-received dates in October 2023 supporting Jared James Nicols, which laid the groundwork for the likeable trio’s debut UK headline tour in March 2024. Fast forward a year or so, and DeWolff are back on these shores for a run of six shows in seven days, and they come bearing gifts in the guise of the critically-acclaimed new album ‘Muscle Shoals’.
Consisting of brothers Pablo & Luka van de Poel (guitars/vocals & drums, respectively) and Robin Piso (keys), DeWolff are so laid back that they don’t walk; they glide. With the tiniest, dingiest dressing room on the circuit being just off the main part of the venue, band members are spotted before the show mingling with fans at the bar and are more than happy to mug it up for the camera on selfie after selfie. On his way back to said tiny and dingy dressing room, Robin Piso clinks glasses and nods cheers with a handful of punters sitting on the bench that runs along the wall just outside the dressing room.
Some time later the lush organ sounds from Piso fills the room as the band launch into regular set opener ‘Night Train’. Pablo van de Poel plays the role of preacher perfectly, and the intro to ‘Night Train’ makes the listener feel like they are part of the congregation in the coolest church in the world. And after the smiling van de Poel asks, “Are you ready for some rock & roll?… I said, are you ready for the night train?” his brother Luka brings the band in with some top-notch precision drumming. A fantastic, blood-pumping start to the evening, although Pablo does have to alter his usual intro of “We’re DeWolff, and we came here all the way from the cold, cold Netherlands” to account for the fact that it’s “slightly sunny” back home.
Sticking with 2023’s ‘Love, Death & In Between’, the frantic opener gives way to the track that also follows it on the album: ‘Heart Stopping Kinda Show’. Always felt this one had an E-Street vibe here and there – mainly due to the drums and organ – and after witnessing it live for the third time, yeah still getting that same vibe. Such an infectious, rocking, good-time few minutes it is irresistible. Pausing for a few moments during the track, Pablo takes time to thank the crowd for packing out the venue. He mentions each previous visit to the city, pointing out how difficult it was to carry Piso’s Hammond Organ up four flights of stairs for the Jared James Nicols gig, before joking that the headline gig in 2024 was in a venue “barely larger than my living room…”.
‘Natural Woman’ is the first stop-off at ‘Muscle Shoals’, and God Dayum it swings! The dirtiest, grittiest opening guitar riff that you will encounter this year gives way to some almighty grooves that make the hips move with a mind of their own. And the brief solo that Pablo launches into – after getting the crowd to snap their fingers rather than clapping – is smoking hot. When the trio lock into a groove and simply let fly, it is truly a sight to behold. Keeping the music flowing, the band heads straight into another gem from the new album in the shape of the hypnotic and beguiling ‘Out on The Town’, where the shimmering guitar tones that Pablo van de Poel delivers steal the show. Not many bands would drop a drum solo so early in the set, but not many bands are like DeWolff, and midway through ‘Out on The Town’ Luka van de Poel gets his moment in the spotlight and impresses with some deft hi-hat flourishes.
After a stunning run-through of ‘Will o’ the Wisp’, one of the highlights of the night lands with the groovealicious ‘Live Like You’ which always thrills. The high standard of playing from all three members is staggering (as it is all evening), especially when the wailing feedback from Pablo segues seamlessly into the blissful, chilled-out intro of another new track: ‘Snowbird’. How does DeWolff follow that up? With what else but a spellbinding live version of ‘Rosita’ that makes fifteen minutes pass in the blink of an eye and proves that bands can play for that amount of time without making it self-indulgent.
Turn on, tune in, and drop out to one of the most unique bands out there on the live circuit today. Remaining tour dates are below:
APR 15: UK – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
APR 16: UK – Bristol, The Fleece
APR 17: UK – Oxford, O2 Academy
APR 18: UK – London, Garage
APR 20: NL – Schijndel, Paaspop Festival
MAY 14: DE – Stuttgart, Im Wizemann
MAY 15: DE – Frankfurt, Das Bett
MAY 16: DE – Cologne, Kantine
MAY 17: DE – Münster, Sputnikhalle
MAY 18: DE – Hamburg, Übel & Gefährlich
MAY 29: UK – Euston Hall, Red Rooster Festival
More information, HERE.
Live image – Istvan Bruggen
Portrait images – (c) Satellite June
