The Torontonian rockers that comprise the indie rock band Wildlife make it very clear on their anthemic latest album, …On The Heart, that their particular brand of music sounds great on the record, but it must be consumed live to be fully appreciated.
After a few minutes talking with the band members, it is clear they are a group of guys bred for live performances.
Describing their sound as “romantic and violent” and nonsensically and hilariously comparing it to “a flat warm coke that’s been in the desert for two weeks,” the energy and chemistry they share as a group becomes instantly obvious after a short conversation.
In typical indie-rock form, the guys from Wildlife are hesitant to talk themselves up or take themselves too seriously. However, they do admit that one of their greatest strengths as a band is their ability to perform live.
“As a band, our strength is probably being able to make people feel involved and safe,” lead singer Dean Povinsky said.
“Safe, but with a little bit of danger,” guitarist/keyboardist Tim Daugulis added, laughing.
Povinsky said the band is usually able to draw in the wariest and most unsure audience members.
“If a crowd starts out sceptical, usually we can rope them in by the end,” he said.
The boys from Toronto were excited to be in the nation’s capital again, saying they have had a lot of fun shows in Ottawa.
Wildlife, whose influences include Hall and Oates, The Police, punk music, and “breaking stuff,” consider their latest album to be “more mature and polished” than their earlier work.
Bassist Derek Bosomworth largely attributed the band’s change in sound to their producer.
“We got involved with a producer named Peter Katis, who did all The National and Interpol stuff,” Bosomworth said.
Daugulis joked, “We’re like Kings of Leon—we’re all related,” before clarifying they are simply a group of friends that met through various connections within the Toronto area.
Daugulis may have been kidding, but the high degree of on-stage chemistry exhibited by Wildlife during their show at Zaphod’s March 28 showed the members undoubtedly have a familial-like connection.
Wildlife took the stage at 10 p.m., starting out with a monstrous triple-guitar rendition of “Born to Run.”
In trademark fashion, they wasted no time in infecting the initially-hesitant crowd with their energy by utilizing every single square inch of Zaphods’ stage to thrash around and deliver a passionate performance.
The Torontonian quintet kept up the intensity all night, demonstrating their musical versatility and innate synchronization by performing instrument swaps after nearly every song.
By the end of their set, the band was literally crawling on their amplifiers, and they had dismantled drummer Dwayne Christie’s kit so they could share in the percussive responsibilities.
While the medium-sized crowd was a little lethargic for the first few songs, by the time the mandolin was brought out for “Stand In The Water,” the fifth song on the setlist, it is safe to say the crowd at Zaphod’s was indeed “roped in” by Wildlife’s irresistible liveliness.
