Wolf Alice are massive. No doubt about that. And despite covid fears and multiple reschedulings, there was still a capacity crowd ready to welcome one of the preeminent bands in the ever-saturated British Indie scene.
Supporting the London rockers, Matt Maltese provided a smooth way to ease into the night. His piano-based tunes were a soulful, melodic introduction to the night, but his stories between songs got lost in the general chat of a crowd with one eye on the clock, waiting for nine o’clock to come round. His viral hit ‘As the World Caves In’ was well-received, even if it was met with a bit of “Oooohhh Matt Maltese is THAT guy”, as a measured opening to the night ceased; everyone still keeping it relatively subdued knowing what was to come.
The crowd noise and size kept on building, transforming the sizable main room into a veritable sweatbox. Excitement reached boiling point as the clock ticked over to nine and at one minute past, rapturous applause and cheering broke out as Ellie Rowsell and co. came out suited and booted, ready to kick off an absolute masterpiece of a set.
If there’s something you always want to do as a band, it’s start out with impact and in ‘Smile’ and ‘You’re a Germ’, Wolf Alice have two killer impact songs. From the throbbing bassline to start out ‘Smile’ to its infinitely singable chorus, ‘Smile’ brought about an energy to the already hyped-out crowd that was then taken over the top by the counting pre-chorus of ‘You’re a Germ’.
“ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN! YOU AIN’T GOING TO HEAVEN!”
The joyful chaos of the start to the set then made way for Wolf Alice’s signature stylish shoegaze, as ‘Formidable Cool’ turned down the heat ever so slightly so that tracks ‘Delicious Things’ and ‘Lipstick on the Glass’, both off their latest LP Blue Weekend, could hit with their fullest effect. All three brought the house down with lead singer Rowsell, styled in an oversized suit jacket, leading the crowd with her angelic vocals that have taken more of a centre stage in Wolf Alice’s recent music.
This signalled the beginning of a calmer period of music, though that by no means meant that this slight breather was in any way boring. Linking ‘Planet Hunter’ into ‘Bros’, the fan favourites provided one of the many special moments in the set, as you looked at who you had come with and asserted that “you are my best friend” as you sang along. The production around this point in the gig added to the already ethereal atmosphere, with blue flashing lights creating the effect of washing the band in monochrome, the sole exception being Theo Ellis’ bright-pink-feather-boa-esque bass strap.
Following this came the emotional core of the set. ‘Safe From Heartbreak’ and ‘How Can I Make It OK?’ drew impassioned singing from even the most timid of singers, as they joined another chorus masterfully curated by the band. These songs were two that have especially benefited from the addition of touring keys/synth player Ryan Malcom, who has taken over responsibility for the pedals, loops and keys parts that in days passed would’ve been played by lead guitarist Joff Oddie and bassist Ellis via foot-activated pedals and buttons. This has elevated Wolf Alice’s stage presence; it not only adds to the live element of the band but allows greater freedom for the guitar and bass playing members to give a performance and interact with each other as they aren’t tied down to their pedal boards and have less to worry about, which means they can really let loose.
And letting loose came very soon on with a quick-blast of ‘Play the Greatest Hits’ shook any slumber from the crowd in a blitzing blur of whirling blaze of noise and moshing. Once again this then made way for more measured songs, but showed the mastery of the setlist that had been put together by the band. It was a sublime mix of Wolf Alice’s heavy rock and heady shoegaze: never too slow to bore, never too much action to tire out. It really was marvellous.
The sweatbox of the O2 Academy did prove to be too much for some, as a fan towards the front seemed to pass out during the intro to ‘Visions Of A Life’. Thankfully, this was spotted by Ellis who stopped the gig and was greeted to chants of “THEEEEO, THEEEEO” from the crowd, as they showed their appreciation towards the band for their quick action. It does raise questions as to why it had to be a band member that noticed this and be the one to bring attention to the incident, rather than the security staff positioned at the barrier, or as to why water was only distributed after the incident, as this was almost an hour into an incredibly hot gig.
After making sure things were all fine, Wolf Alice returned to blazing through their back catalogue of bangers, before leaving no dry eyes in the crowd with ‘No Hard Feelings’, a mournful serenading song, which was beautifully accompanied by Oddie’s switch to an acoustic guitar.
Finishing off their main set with another OG track ‘Giant Peach’, the band took the conventional couple of minutes off-stage before returning to cries, cheers, and chants to Ellis of “THEEEEO, THEEEEO”, which Oddie playfully got annoyed at until he got his own chants of “JOFF, JOFF, JOFF”.
The climax of the night was upon us, and Wolf Alice had saved their best till last. ‘Last Man On Earth’ was one of the stand-out tracks on the exquisite Blue Weekend, but performed live to a venue that knew the lyrics word-for-word gave it new layers of depth that cannot be described, so I won’t even try except for saying that I don’t think I can ever listen to the song in the same way again.
And if that moment wasn’t enough, ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’ gave another hair-raising, ethereal, beautiful reason as to why this had been a special night.
A wonderfully constructed, beautifully executed, and magnificently performed show from a band that seem to have the world (or at least the UK) in the palm of their hands. It was a triumphant performance from one of the best British bands currently going.
Rating: 5/5