Wolf Alice at the O2 Arena
There was a moment, during Wolf Alice’s second performance at the O2, when Ellie Rowsell ecstatically sang The Sofa, from the band’s latest record, The Clearing. “Let me lie here on (I could lie here all day long) / Let me lie here on the sofa,” she uttered with dozens of fans, while her bandmates enjoyed themselves during this lively and dreamy track. All of it was performed with a certain dose of lightness – throughout the entire evening, no gravity applied to her. Or to any other member of the most ironbound band of its generation. You could just fall in love with them within a span of a few seconds.
Although there was no eponymous sofa on the scene, the entire O2 felt like one – and Rowsell was lying on it, relaxing with each performance and offering us her pure vocals, perhaps the most immersive ones in the entire business. Seeing them live for the first time seems like an almost pristine experience, because the band’s leaning towards musical perfection appears practically impossible. “They can’t sound so flawless,” we think. Yet, they do.
The London-born group was exchanging genres (and thus, their albums) with every song. The entire set list was arranged deliberately (starting with Thorns and ending on Smile with Don’t Delete the Kisses as a final encore song), while transitions between each track felt pretty organic. At one moment, shoegaze and a sense of nostalgia mixed with soft rock when they played new tunes from The Clearing and Blue Weekend; at another, they embraced the tension and punkish energy of their first two records.
Wolf Alice reflected on 15 years together by admitting that it was friendship that had saved these four musicians and let them continue this journey. While watching Wolf Alice’s energy, there was a sense of synergy between all four of them, perhaps based on counterbalancing each other. While the boys – Joff Oddie, Joel Amey and Theo Ellis – were going full “punk rock”, Rowsell stuck to her on-stage persona, one that was both theatrical and flirtatious. The boys wanted to shout loudly and clearly with their masculine energy, while she desired to scream with ecstasy. They are the rock stars, she’s an icon, reminiscent of a singer from one a Lynchian fairy tales.
This idea of playing with two forces of nature was bolstered by some vintage-like, 1970s aesthetics. A disco ball was brought in, the wind was blowing in Rowsell’s hair, and a set of moody lights set up the tender atmosphere. All of it made them look like a bunch of rock ‘n’ roll icons.
Regardless of the seats, experiencing their nearly two-hour set felt like an actual privilege. It was as if you were the one being thankful, even though it’s a band that should always be grateful to their fans. As a collective force, Wolf Alice seemed indestructible – they could just go on and on and on. Writing that their music is like a fine old wine would be a huge cliché. Instead, they’re like Coca-Cola inventing a new flavour with every new album. And each of them tastes better than the last.
Jan Tracz
Photos: Virginie Viche
For further information and future events, visit Wolf Alice’s website here.
Watch the video for Just Two Girls here:
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