Wolf Alice Don't Disappoint
The last night of the Easter bank holiday can often make for a rather sombre affair. After 4 days off, preparations for getting back into the work mind-set can sometimes prove tricky. Unless of course you’ve got tickets to see Wolf Alice at the Forum.
I’d purchased tickets many moons ago after spending hours repeatedly listening to what in my mind was one of the best debut albums of 2015. So with tickets in hand we made our way to Kentish Town…
First up I need to doff my hat to the venue. It was a sold out show, yet we managed to get in without a que, straight to the bar without a wait and then luckily managed to plonk our butts down in some pretty fantastic seats (the pic doesn’t do the view justice). Great set-up!
We caught the second support group, Spring King and were mightily impressed. A grungy, post-punk group of guys with attitude and energy in abundance. Top that with more guitar changes than a standard Who gig (nearly every song!) and a whole heap of thrashing. They had a packed auditorium in front of them, a fan ridden mosh-pit (with some highly entertaining moves) and they went for it.
Keen to see more of these guys, the music is exciting and they’re great with the crowd, even starting a chorus of “Happy Birthday” for their bassist, who looked like he’d been celebrating pretty heavily the night before!
The only slightly questionable instance was when the band left the stage... in the time honored punk style they threw their instruments on the floor and kicked a mic stand. Not to the point of breaking the guitars, nothing a bit of polish wouldn’t rub out, which is why it looked a little tantrum esq as opposed to a proper Keith Moon battering.
And then to the main event, Wolf Alice. I was keen to see how ‘My Love Is Cool’ transferred to the live environment and I wasn’t disappointed. From “Bros” to “Freazy” the delivery was exceptional, Ellie Rowsell captivating the crowd with her stunning voice and Joff Oddie launching himself around the stage like a possessed demon. Just sublime.
Although the Sound Engineer didn’t have the best night ensuring vocals were front and center from either band, Ellie’s soaring vocals and chats with the crowd were not lost. Even to the point of inviting one of the audience up for a dance, “I danced on my own to this last night, be good to have some company tonight.”
My standout tracks for the evening were “Swallow Tail”, which I was surprised by, as it’s one of the slower tracks on the album and I wasn’t expecting it to be one of the better live songs. However, a fantastic performance by Joel Amey on the drums delivered a perfect live performance. Then unsurprisingly their best track (in my opinion) “Giant Peach”. It was saved for the encore and everything just exploded; the track, confetti cannons and of course, the crowd.
And that was it. A fantastic gig, from a band who’ve played together so many times, they make performing look seamless and their delivery is impeccable. If you’re heading to a festival with Wolf Alice on the line-up you’d be a fool to miss their set. Can’t think of a better way of enjoying their music.
COMMENTS
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So jealous, was dying to get to one of these shows!
