Wolfmother Turn the O2 Ritz into a Sweaty Cathedral of Rock 'n' Roll
- Luke Storey
- Jul 31
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 1
O2 Ritz, Manchester – 30th July 2026
WORDS / IMAGES LUKE STOREY
Rock music doesn't always need reinvention. Sometimes it just needs a Marshall stack, a wall of riffs, a drummer who hits like he's trying to split the earth in two, and a frontman who looks like he'd rather be sharing a beer with the crowd than delivering some carefully choreographed arena performance.
That's exactly what Wolfmother brought to Manchester's O2 Ritz on Thursday night.
The Australian rockers arrived in town celebrating twenty years of their self-titled debut album, an album that burst through the doors of the mid-2000s music scene with enough classic rock swagger to make the old gods of the genre sit up and pay attention. Two decades later, those songs still carry the same electricity, and tonight the Ritz became a sweat-soaked shrine to riffs, volume and pure rock 'n' roll.
The O2 Ritz has always been the perfect kind of room for a band like Wolfmother. There's something wonderfully unpolished about it—the sticky floors, the low ceiling, the feeling that every great band who has passed through has left a little bit of themselves behind. Tonight it felt less like a venue and more like a pressure cooker waiting for someone to turn the heat all the way up.
Before the main event, Kim Jennett took to the stage and immediately showed why she deserved the opportunity. Playing to a room that was still gradually filling, she attacked the first support slot with the confidence and energy of a band much further up the bill. Fronting a female-led rock outfit packed with attitude, Jennett's vocals cut through the guitars beautifully, bringing a powerful presence that demanded attention.
There was a real sense that the band were simply delighted to be there, but that enthusiasm worked in their favour. They weren't going through the motions—they were grabbing their moment. Their decision to finish with Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" was inspired, a fitting nod to the classic rock influences that would dominate the evening. They didn't attempt to copy it; they just delivered it with enough fire and passion to get the crowd moving. Even with the venue not yet at full capacity, they succeeded in creating an atmosphere and winning over plenty of new fans.
Next came The Howlers, and suddenly the evening shifted gears.
Imagine Royal Blood's stripped-back heaviness colliding with the swagger and attitude of early Arctic Monkeys, and you start to get somewhere close. The London duo's sound is much bigger than their setup suggests. A drummer and a vocalist/guitarist should not be able to create this much noise, yet somehow they filled every corner of the Ritz with huge riffs, sharp melodies and an effortless cool.
There was a wonderful "don't care what anyone thinks" attitude running through their performance. Frontman Adam Young carried himself with the confidence of someone who knows exactly what his band is about, while the songs balanced dirty guitar tones with surprisingly clean and powerful vocals. "You Can Be So Cruel" stood out, but it was their crowd favourite "El Dorado" that really made an impact. By the end of their set, it was obvious The Howlers had picked up more than a few new followers.
Then the lights went down.
The anticipation inside the Ritz shifted instantly.
And suddenly the room exploded.
Wolfmother walked onto the stage with the relaxed confidence of a band who know exactly what they have created. There was no unnecessary drama, no overblown production, no attempt to pretend this was anything other than what it was—a great rock band playing great rock songs.
The twentieth anniversary tour of Wolfmother was always going to be special, and the decision to play the album in full was exactly the right one. The record remains a near-perfect example of how powerful a simple formula can be: huge riffs, massive hooks and enough attitude to fill a stadium.
The opening notes of "Dimension" hit like a punch to the chest. No lengthy introduction. No waiting around. Just pure, immediate energy. Before anyone had time to recover, "Woman" followed and the Ritz was already bouncing.
This was not a crowd standing politely watching a band celebrate its past.
This was a rock show.
The album's relentless pace meant there was never a chance to catch your breath. Wolfmother has no real downtime—it just keeps charging forward with riff after riff. "White Unicorn", "Apple Tree", "Pyramid", "Mind's Eye" and "California Queen" all landed with enormous force, proving that these songs have aged incredibly well.
Twenty years later, they don't sound like relics.
They sound alive.
Then came "Joker & the Thief", and the entire venue erupted. Some songs have a chorus everyone sings. This one has a guitar riff everyone sings. The opening notes rang out and suddenly the crowd became another member of the band, shouting every note back towards the stage. It was one of those moments where the barrier between performer and audience completely disappeared.
Throughout the night, Andrew Stockdale remained the perfect frontman for Wolfmother. There is no unnecessary rock-star posing, no sense of someone trying to convince you they're cool. He simply looks like a musician having the time of his life playing songs with his mates. The legendary Australian personality shines through—relaxed, funny and completely comfortable on stage.
There was no water bottle theatrics tonight.
There were, however, plenty of ice-cold beers.
The performance was wonderfully stripped back. Minimal production, no distractions, just three musicians creating a wall of sound. It worked because the songs are strong enough to stand on their own.
The set also featured a handful of covers, including Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" and, because this is Manchester, a nod towards Oasis. The crowd loved them, but the funny thing was that Wolfmother's own songs didn't need any help standing beside those legendary tracks.
Their own catalogue belongs in that conversation.
By the time "Rock Out" arrived, the Ritz was completely lost in the moment. The room was filled with flying fists, bouncing bodies and that rare gig feeling where nobody is thinking about anything except the music happening right in front of them.
This was classic rock stripped down to its essentials.
Loud guitars.
Huge riffs.
Sweat.
Smiles.
And a room full of people remembering why they fell in love with rock music in the first place.
The night closed with "Love Train", one final burst of energy before the band disappeared into the Manchester night. It was the perfect ending—a final reminder that Wolfmother have never been interested in subtlety. They are here to make noise, and they are very good at it.
Some anniversary tours feel like museum pieces. Bands dust off old songs, recreate old moments and hope nostalgia does the heavy lifting.
Wolfmother's anniversary show was different.
It felt alive.
It felt urgent.
It felt like a band still completely in love with the music they created twenty years ago.
For one night, the O2 Ritz became a sweaty cathedral of rock 'n' roll, powered by vintage riffs, Australian attitude and the simple truth that great songs never get old.
Wolfmother didn't just celebrate their past.
They reminded Manchester exactly why it mattered in the first place.
SETLIST
Dimension
New Moon Rising
Woman
White Unicorn
Apple Tree
Midnight Train
Pyramid
Mind's Eye
California Queen
Feelin Love
Vagabond
Gypsy Caravan
Rock'n'Roll Survivor
Victorious
Colossal
Joker & the Thief
ENCORE
Paranoid (Black Sabbath cover)
Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin cover)
FOLLOW BRING ME THE HORIZON
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