Kadavar
(supporting Wolfmother)
May 16, 2014
Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
Seeing Kadavar once this year was more than I thought I would get to see them but to see them twice? Good Lord I felt like I had hit the fucking lottery. Just when I thought I had seen the last of my German riff gods here comes news that Kadavar had been tapped as direct support for the Wolfmother tour. Yeah, I know. Wolfmother? I thought the same thing myself. Is this band still around? Well, all that aside, I just couldn’t wait to see Kadavar in action once again.
As I situated myself up front with my camera in tow I began to assess the audience around me. I was easily the oldest person up front by about 15 years so it was interesting to see so many young hipsters. I really had no idea that Wolfmother was such a hipster band but it kind of made sense to me. I struck up a conversation with a few people about Kadavar and it seemed that nobody really knew who they were. A few had said that they’d heard of them but never heard them. This made me feel really excited and nervous because I knew that it was going to go one of two ways. Either this crowd was going to be so blown away that they’d lose their faces or that they would stand there with arms crossed chanting for Wolfmother.
At show time, the venue was about ½ full and as the house lights came down there was a pretty hefty cheer as Kadavar launched into “Liquid Dream.” Drummer Tiger attacked his kit with all the force and animation of Animal (famed Muppet drummer) while lead vocalist/guitarist Lupus Lindemann ripped out a Captain Beyond-esque groove that had everyone’s heads nodding in approval. As I looked around me it was plain to see that the all faces had been infected and Kadavar was laying waste to the people. Kadavar took it all to a whole other level as they dove head first into “Doomsday Machine.” At this point it was very obvious that this crowd was quickly becoming a horde of newly converted Kadavar fans. How could you not be absolutely blown away by this band? Just when things seemed like it couldn’t get much better Kadavar brought out “All Our Thoughts” and it was here that the band took that ever raising bar and placed it so far out of reach that I don’t know if anyone could touch it if they tried. If I was Wolfmother and I had seen this stellar performance I would’ve started packing my shit up to get the fuck out there.
Seeing Kadavar play on such a large stage with such a grand light show was an amazing experience. A lot of times bands like Kadavar thrive more so in smaller settings and while on a big stage things seem to get lost in translation. This couldn’t be further from the case as Kadavar performed like seasoned veteran headliners. Kadavar played with a level of confidence and security that made it very easy to focus on what they were doing and forgetting that there was actually another performing after them. Kadavar has no need to get up there and showboat or fish for attention. They just get up there and do what comes naturally to them. They lose themselves in the songs and create a sonic connection with all who are in attendance and invite them into this magical realm of riffs, groove, and vocals that could peel the paint off of walls with ease. With each passing performance Kadavar continues to blow my mind and take me to this new level of stratospheric awesomeness. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for not just Kadavar but for me as a fan. I can’t help but feel this is just the beginning of something very, very spectacular to come our way. Prepare your faces kids. It’s gonna get hot out there.
Kadavar Set List
Liquid Dream, Living in Your Head, Doomsday Machine, Black Sun, All Our Thoughts, Come Back Life, Creature of the Demon, Forgotten Past
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