For Wolf Alice’s fourth album, ‘The Clearing’, the band has upgraded to a more spacious hotel room in the astral sphere.
There’s a shine overlaying the grit present in 2021’s ‘Blue Weekend’: this new album’s seventies elegance and high production set new standards for the UK’s indie favorites. However, the essence of unrefined songwriting, no matter the cost, remains unchanged for the four members – Ellie Rowsell, Theo Ellis, Joff Oddie, and Joel Amey.
On this tour, their largest to date, they are performing two nights at The O2 in London, where they fit perfectly. While the band doesn't create a sense of intimacy in the 20,000-capacity stadium, they imbue it with a sense of importance, serving ideally as a platform for their artistic vision.
The performance is a glam rock affair filled with theatricality, even though the band doesn’t rely heavily on visual effects apart from a starship-silver tinsel backdrop. Frontwoman Ellie Rowsell, who possesses a natural charm reminiscent of David Bowie and Alexa Chung, appears as resolute and introspective as ever.
Dressed in a t-shirt featuring a deer caught in headlights, she emanates directness like never before. Surrounded by her band of bleached-blonde rebels, Rowsell exudes an undeniable coolness.
Their song ‘Safe From Heartbreak (If You Never Fall in Love)’ comes across as husky, twanging, invigorating, and even somewhat Western, which is an unexpected twist from a band that embodies the essence of dreary English mornings.
With ‘Play the Greatest Hits’, they embrace their Angela Carter inspiration – a short story about a wild girl raised by wolves – as Roswell screams fervently, her hair streaked and sweat shimmering like metal clashing.
In the ballad ‘Play It Out’, Rowsell attempts to engage with the audience but nearly falters, worried that expressing herself too deeply might lead to tears. Her eyes gleam with a smudged silver, and as sequins fall, she sheds glittering tears that resonate with the thousands in attendance. For an audience largely comprised of young women – many of whom grew up with the band – the song strikes a truly emotional chord.
During the encore, Wolf Alice performs their oldest and arguably finest track, ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’. This song captures the essence of the mid-teens, representing moments defined by early technology, rookie observation, and the fleeting seconds before a tentative, potentially disastrous first kiss. It’s refreshing to see the band perform it with such enthusiasm, undeterred by the fatigue that often plagues bands of their status, and devoid of any sentiment of having outgrown the signature sound that once brought them fame.
I felt comforted by my teenage insight, recognizing how genuinely cool Wolf Alice has always been, is now, and will continue to be.
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Words: Kate Jeffrie
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For their fourth album, 'The Clearing', Wolf Alice has transitioned to a more spacious hotel room in the astral realm. There’s a shine contrasting with the roughness of...