The way things have aligned for London’s The Wild Things is almost out of a fairytale — singer Sydney Rae White and guitarist Rob Kendrick met while on tour with The Who musical Quadrophenia, after which they would not only get married, but form the band together. This also exposed them to The Who’s Pete Townshend, who has produced some of the band’s music and has been a huge proponent of the band. Sydney White chats to Headliner about performing at Madison Square Garden and the Royal Albert Hall, the band’s recent singles and their upcoming sophomore album.
It’s a bitterly cold night in St Albans, as The Wild Things take the stage at The Horn music pub. The fact they have the Saturday night slot instead of a covers act like The Smyths or Pure Coldplay in itself says a huge amount about the belief in this band. And while it’s a relatively small room they are playing to, it quickly becomes apparent this band will play every show with the same swagger and energy — whether it be in a small satellite commuter city such as St Albans, or opening for The Who at Madison Square Gardens.
Energy is the key word; Sydney White may be a diminutive frontwoman, but she’s a vocal powerhouse, and her performance is perhaps brimming the strongest as she leaves the stage to jolt around the audience for this year’s single Heaven Knows. Rob Kendrick, who towers over his bandmates and the audience, is constantly demanding full participation, spending a lot of the set at the very front of the stage ensuring no one in the crowd is taking their eyes off this rock extravaganza.
White’s brother Cameron on bass and drummer Pete Wheeler do not share a misstep between them and are often beaming smiles at the mere opportunity to get to do what they’re doing. Other huge highlights are their recent single Paradise and their outrageous cover of Abba’s Does Your Mother Know? which predictably gets the whole room bouncing.
Speaking to Headliner a few days after the gig, White has a free day back in London to do laundry and recuperate before completing their first headline tour, concluding with a hometown performance at the 100 Club in Central London.