We hauled our creaking frame from our sickbed and travelled up to Manchester’s Ritz to catch the wonderful Wolf Alice. We wouldn’t do this for just any band, but Wolf Alice demonstrated yet again they aren’t just any band.
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Joe Strummer once said, “Whatever a group is- it’s the chemical mixture of those four people that makes a group work. That’s a lesson everyone should learn, “Don’t mess with it!” If it works just let it…”
And that famous quote echoed around our head on the drive back to Liverpool, after experiencing yet another fantastic set from Wolf Alice at Manchester’s Ritz Ballroom because it’s always been apparent that the chemistry between the band members (Ellie Rowsell – Vox Guitar, Joff Oddie – Guitar, Joel Amey – drums and Theo Ellis – bass) and faith they have in each other is an integral ingredient in the Wolf Alice mix. And whilst other indie bands posture and pose often concentrating on style over substance, Wolf Alice have simply got on with the business of writing great songs and of being the best band they can possibly be. As such they have rapidly established a reputation as being one of the most thrilling bands on the live circuit to emerge from the UK in recent years.
There’s something endearingly honest and self effacing about Wolf Alice who seem refreshingly ego free, and they appeared genuinely taken aback when the assembled throng in Manchester joyously sang along to the lyrics of songs such as ‘Bros’ ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’ ‘Blush’ and the mosh- inducing power of ‘Fluffy.’ Their infectious delight in what they do and their subsequent reaction to the ecstatic audience appeared to spur the band to new heights and they delivered another hugely impressive performance from a setlist that verged on perfection. It also proved that on their biggest UK tour to date, Wolf Alice undoubtedly warrant the praise that’s been heaped upon them, and are deservedly on the cusp of something very special indeed. They’ve worked incredibly hard, honed their craft, developed their sound, played the dives, learnt from their experiences and evolved from a band with huge potential into a genuinely great band.
Given that they’ve just returned from a gruelling series of shows in the U.S. and will be back there again in May you can only marvel at their frenetic energy, passion and infectious enthusiasm, giving every song their absolute all. The highlights, which were many, arrived not in the form of obvious favourites such as ‘Storms’ and the wonderful new single ‘ Giant Peach’ but by way of new songs from their forthcoming debut album. The wonderful ‘You’re A Germ,’ ‘The Wonderwhy, ‘Your Love’s Whore’ were only surpassed by our own personal highlight, the yearning jaw-droppingly brilliant ‘Soapy Water’ which perfectly showcased Ellie Rowsell’s wonderful voice and supported her assertion that the debut is “100 percent not a grunge record. It’s a much braver record than that,”
With regard to the business of making music, a wise man once said ‘ do it because you love it, write great songs, never short-change your audience, and give it your all when you perform live’ – the short version of this would be, ‘go and watch Wolf Alice, take notes!’ If their album My Love is Cool released via Dirty Hit Records on June 22 doesn’t see their fan base expand exponentially then we might as well all give up and start listening to utterly creatively bereft cockwank like Iggy Azalea, because pop pickers, that’ll be the future and nobody wants that, right? Wolf Alice are a band to cherish, it’s now up to all of us to help ensure they really do take the mainstream by storm. This is their time.
Set List
Fluffy
She
Your Love’s Whore
90 Mile Beach
The Wonderwhy
Storms
Soapy Water
Bros
Blush
You’re a Germ
Giant Peach
Encore:
White Leather
Moaning Lisa Smile