By Will Yannacoulias
Photos By Aaron Brown Photography
The excitement was definitely double for Cradle of Filth’s May 30th show at the Coors Event Center in Saskatoon. The initial buzz for the veteran English goth-metal legends was bolstered when the venue announced that beloved local death metal band Wrought had secured an opening spot for the show. Wrought ripped through a fiery set of furious originals and choice covers for an appreciative hometown crowd, many who have followed the band since it’s inception in 2016. We spoke to Wrought founders Jord Sasakamoose and James Wheeler about the larger-than-life experience of opening for a band they’d idolized since childhood.
Wrought’s road to the Coors stage was an interesting journey, which the band was happy to share with us. “It started with me joking around actually” Wheeler recalled. “When they posted on Facebook that Cradle was coming, on a whim I commented ’our band would love the opportunity to open up’. A bunch of people liked the post and encouraged me, so I figured I’d pursue it. I messaged the Coors, and they responded that they’d let me know by the end of the week. That was one of the longest weeks of my life! But it turned out great and we couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity.”
“The confirmation came first thing in the morning and James called all of us” Sasakamoose added, laughing. “I was grumpy like ‘why the fuck is Wheeler calling me so early?!’ When he asked if I wanted to open for Cradle it didn’t feel real. Honestly the whole thing felt surreal right up until we were onstage.”
Wheeler shared that he had some fun with the announcement, sharing the news of the gig with new drummer Jadan Paluck without telling him who they would actually be playing with. “When I called Jadan he was like ‘I don’t know if I can make it, it’s on a Monday and I work. Who are we opening for?’ ‘Oh it’s just Cradle Of Filth, no big deal’ I told him. ‘Tell your boss your fish is drowning or something!’”
The night of the show finally arrived, and the members of Wrought enjoyed every minute of the experience, Sasakamoose recalled. “during sound check I was so blown away, we were all standing there watching and it was like our own little private show, like they were playing just for us. It was pretty fucking phenomenal.” Wheeler added, “We’ve played with The Agonist and a few others, but Cradle of Filth is definitely the biggest band on that list. I’ve been a fan of Cradle since I was a youngin’ even going back to Carlton High in Prince Albert. I’ve seen them live twice before, so seeing Dani Filth in no makeup and blue jeans was definitely a ‘holy shit’ moment.”
Wheeler and Sasakamoose are enthusiastic about Wrought’s current roster of drummer Paluck, guitarist Colton Garbe and bassist Nolan Ochitwa, and intent to keep momentum going through the summer. “Our lineup is super solid” Sasakamoose said confidently. “These guys are perfect, really amazing, and it’s the perfect time to record our EP. We want to play more this summer, we’re hoping for a mini tour, maybe hit Vancouver.” Wheeler added “we’re playing at The Roxy on July 29th, and once the EP is out we’re planning to do a couple videos. “Devoured By Succubus” will be the first one, it’s probably our best song, our heavy hitter.”
