Prior to their kickoff show at the infamous Viper Room in Los Angeles, CA, I had the pleasure to interview both Joyous Wolf and Of Limbo separately,also in different states at the time, and when asked the question who would they like to take on their own tours, both instinctively named each other as their first choice, that’s the dynamic these two Southern Californian rockers have.
To start the night off, another local favorite Moon Fever gave the crowd a hometown welcome. Even for a Monday night on the sunset strip, fans flocked in early and threw their horns up for the opening band. I only knew of Moon Fever from their banger, “Cocaine”, but to see them in full effect had me believing the hype. Catchy lyrics, shredding riffs and solos, and the rock’n’roll attire to match it, make them a band to keep your eye on.
OF LIMBO
Shortly after with a quick set change, Long Beach/Australian natives, Of Limbo, raged to the stage and shifted the gears into party mode. Now for this tour, they have a new face accompanying them: Ian Joseph on drums. Unfortunately during the week prior to the show, their drummer fell ill, and we wish him a speedy recovery. Ian stepped up to the podium and picked up OF’s touring catalog in one day, which speaks volumes for how talented this young drummer is and his personality molded with the rest of the band on stage. Guitarist Luke Davies embraced his inner Steve Vai and shredded the night away on stage. Their bassist Rob Graveley was in his mojo and matched Luke with his energy, playing style. Finally, frontman and brother to Luke, Jake Davies, had his PBR in hand and made the crowd party. They are the ultimate party rock band, but in the best way possible.
JOYOUS WOLF
Now I have seen Joyous Wolf a handful of times, as apart of the SoCal rock circuit, but only as openers, never as their own headlining act and from this night forward they should only be headliners.
As concerts returned this year, Joyous Wolf had already been on the road with Dirty Honey and festivals such as Upheaval Fest. So the 2020 dust had already been disposed of and they were ready to hit their stride for this tour. Los Angeles rock station KLOS was directly supporting and promoting this show and even Matthew Pinfield was in attendance & introduced the band before the set. For the first song to start the tour, they opened with their latest single “Fearless” and fans immediately had their hands up. The small atmosphere of The Viper Room was the perfect setting to showcase how exceptionally talented these rockers are. Joyous Wolf’s sound and stage presence screamed the vibe of a young Aerosmith band but unlike others who un-tastefully rip it off, they still had their own style to it.
Megadeth may have the metal tour of the year, but Joyous Wolf and Of Limbo have the rock’n’roll tour of the year. Be sure to check them this fall.
