An impressive start to an exciting year for Wolf Alice

Wolf Alice enjoyed a fruitful end of 2012, picking up ‘Ones to Watch’ statuses all over the web; the general consensus being that 2013 will prove a big year for them. Rolling on from the festive period, the North London foursome had the honour of welcoming The Old Blue Last into the New Year with a typically buzz-infused set.

The volume of people that turned out to catch the show served as an immediate indicator of this excitement, but their performance appeared far from pressurised. Aware of it or not, Ellie fronts the band with a playful, childlike assurance, highlighted by a relatively unfazed reaction to a more than troublesome mic stand and explanations of Christmas presents. However, the band have the ability to juxtapose this friendly appearance with moments of attitude, highlighted by the new single ‘Fluffy‘: exemplifying the band’s sound the falling bass line comes through with a particular distorted furor.

Another highlight, ‘Leaving You’, featured in The Best Fit Fifty: Tracks of 2012, was welcomed with a few enthusiastic “whoops”, again proving the genuine exposure they are enjoying. It’s a memorable track from the set; the bottle slide guitar riff as genuinely catchy as ever. Moments of simple guitar and voice showcase Ellie’s gorgeous breathy vocal, before it is smashed to one side by another powerful build-up and crashing percussion. Howling Bells come to mind again, while watery guitar effects hold lovely echoes of The Cure. An impressive start to an exciting year then for Wolf Alice.

Setlist
Intro
Stupid Bitch
Nosedive
Leaving You
Bros
White Leather
Fluffy