Wolf Alice’s ambitions for their first arena tour were pretty straightforward. “We want to put on a show,” Ellie Rowsell told Dork earlier this year. “We also want to remember to have fun with it.” True to their word, the first of two homecoming shows at London’s O2 arena is so much more than a typical Wolf Alice gig with a few more lights and a big screen. A thoughtful reconstruction of their relatable indie rock gems, they deliver one of the most majestic gigs the venue has ever seen.
Opening with the slow-burning ‘Thorns’, Ellie sings about making a song and dance about her relationship dramas on a stage that’s been reworked into a giant, shimmering star. It’s a bold, beautiful introduction, delivered with a knowing wink. The glam rock excess of ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ and the rumbling funk of ‘White Horses’, a song about chosen family and chasing joy, quickly follow as Wolf Alice mash together Vegas glamour and riotous London grit.
The band’s journey from grubby pubs to arenas has been well documented, and this step-up feels a long time coming – even if the band have constantly refused to let themselves get caught up in the hype. Not only do they look utterly at home in this giant room, but they make sure every moment matters. Each of the 22 songs brings a deliberately different dimension to a gig that’s constantly changing shape.
There’s a stripped-back ‘Safe From Heartbreak’ that sees the band huddled together at the very front of the stage before that intimacy is transformed into a venue-wide dose of scream therapy. ‘Yuk Foo’ is a wailing beast that has Ellie yelling down a megaphone and spinning around on a giant turntable while the dreamy fairytale theatrics of ‘Silk’ prove the band has always been more than a grungy rock mob. Though they’re great at that too, with the reliable carnage of ‘Giant Peach’, the snarling stadium anthem ‘Play The Greatest Hits’, and the surprisingly rowdy ‘How Can I Make It Ok?’ causing boisterous chaos throughout the room. You want danger? Ellie stacks it during ‘Formidable Cool’, which is as perfect a time as any for her first onstage trip.
“This song is about being all things at once,” she explains before ‘The Sofa’. By the end of the soaring track, Theo is on the verge of tears as he tries to explain how much tonight means to him. “That can wait until after,” he promises, throwing himself into early breakout hits ‘Bros’ and ‘You’re A Germ’, which ends with a nostalgic throwback image of a baby Wolf Alice (Cub Alice?) on the big screens. It’s a cute, sentimental moment, but rather than a pat on the back, tonight is mostly about how much further Wolf Alice can push things forward.
Released earlier this year, ‘The Clearing’ is an album about comfortable, continuous growth that never comes at the expense of childlike wonder. Live, that careful balance is even more apparent. ‘Play It Out’ is a soaring, tender promise to keep digging out excitement, and ‘Just Two Girls’ is a giddy celebration of play. There’s a reckless abandon to the groove-driven ‘Bread Butter Tea Sugar’ while the lush ‘Safe In The World’ is all sincere affection.
They close things out with their fraught, fiery celebration of taking risks, ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’, and a speech from Ellie about how she still can’t believe what they’ve pulled off. For many bands, this night would be the pinnacle. For Wolf Alice, it feels like the show is only just beginning.
Leave a Reply