Such mythological influences have been clearly reflected within the group's most recent EP Sparks, with tracks such as "In the Forest" and "Doomsday" solidifying that penchant. Sparks was played in its entirety on Friday's gig, and these most recent of tracks certainly received the best response from the audience. Whilst this was the Wookies' home crowd, with friends, relatives and associates a considerable percentage, they seem to have a good following, with the majority of the audience being familiar with their repertoire and openly involving themselves with the music through dancing, singing and cued handclaps. The crowd clearly got a lot of pleasure from the Wookies' set, and coupled with the band's light-hearted, comfortable and clearly veterand performance and stage presence, the upbeat and positive atmosphere was palpable and enjoyable.
The group's actual performance on this last of all Wookies' gigs was of good quality; their set was sturdy and tight, and musicianship was pretty much faultless. All of the Wookies are fantastically accomplished musicians, able to collectively keep to complicated time signatures, riffs and licks. They present a curiously united front, where no instrument or singer takes major precedence for too long, and there was an amiable essence of camaraderie about their performance. At times they presented a thick wall of sound, but unlike Phil Spector the Wookies have managed to elucidate the higher and mid frequencies so the depth of the tracks still ring true and do not turn into a muddy mess. All the sonic aspects of the group's presentation have clearly been well planned - they have a lot of kit including a mighty guitar peddle-board, though it must be said that their performance still felt organic and not over cultivated.
That the Wookies now cease to be in their previous incarnation is a sad thing. The previous work that they have presented to us in the past has not only been of good quality at the base level of instrumentality, but it has also been innovative and different conceptually and sonically. Whilst they themselves have categorised the Wookies with the likes of Muse and the Mystery Jets, I feel they had a certain quality that was more unique than those bands - more quirky, niche, and very refreshingly English. Indeed the very English-ness of the Wookies permeates their whole sound from the pronunciation of their vocals to the subtlety of their virtuosity; to me their sonic qualities could almost evoke the smell of rain and dead leaves. And whilst English exploits in the music industry are very successful at the moment, few acts are unequivocally English, as the Wookies have been. But as this quality is only one aspect of their charm, I'm sure that the new incarnation of the Wookies will continue to be musically excellent. One does hope though that they manage to maintain some of their unique character, albeit in a shiny new fashion.
