83. Wolf Alice
Shepherds Bush Empire
3 April 2015
Selling out one of London’s most iconic venues is no small feat, especially when your debut album isn’t even out yet. But here we are, shoulder-to-shoulder in a heaving mass of glitter-soaked disciples at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, waiting for Wolf Alice to show us why My Love Is Cool is already being spoken about in hushed tones, months ahead of release.
They emerge to a wall of sound, some of it theirs, most of it the crowd’s, and without so much as a polite nod, launch headfirst into “Fluffy,” their first single and still their most feral.
The audience responds like it’s the encore of a farewell tour, not the opening of a band still technically pre-album. They know every word. Every inflection. Every feral guitar lurch. I suddenly feel like I’ve wandered into the inner circle of a glitter-based cult.
The set is a blend of EP gems, Blush and Creature Songs making up most of the evening’s DNA, plus a few teasers from the upcoming record. “Giant Peach,” the song that accidentally hooked me into this whole affair, is dispatched with the kind of thunder you’d expect from a band deep into album three, not pre-album one. But the real scene-stealer is “Blush,” a slow-burner turned full-body exorcism. The entire crowd sings it back.
Around this point, it became patently clear that this crowd had already pledged undying loyalty to this nascent band. Everyone is glittered up to their eyebrows, throwing shapes and shouting lyrics like their rent depends on it. It’s equal parts euphoric and vaguely terrifying, like stumbling into a pagan midsummer rite.
The finale, “Moaning Lisa Smile,” is an absolute riot, equal parts grunge stomp and indie sugar-rush. As it reaches its chaotic peak, gold confetti cannons erupt over an already glitter-slick crowd.
And then it’s over. No album out. No encore. Just the sense that something huge has just quietly happened in a not-so-quiet room. If this is what Wolf Alice can conjure pre-debut, heaven help us all once the record actually drops. Watch this band. Closely. Possibly from behind a protective layer of sequins.