Wolf Alice – Dingwalls, London 30/10/13

There is something wonderfully unpretentious about Dingwalls, as there is about Wolf Alice. The Camden venue’s drab, dingy basement walls and sticky, tiered floors don’t even try laying claim to any kind of grandeur, while the Camden quartet’s indie pop offerings are as straight-up as they come. Both of those things are by no means bad. Aimed squarely at their target with blistering riffs and an irresistible youthful naiveté, watching Wolf Alice at Dingwalls is not only the perfect fit, but reaffirms, unequivocally, that they aren’t just another new band, they’re the new band.

Emerging onto a balloon filled stage while the instantly recognisable strums of Hot Chocolate’s “You Sexy Thing” die down ,Wolf Alice are here to party “no excuses.” They aren’t kidding either, tearing through the anthemic cries of “Moaning Lisa’s Smile” and the arhythmic seduction of “Your Love’s Whore” before allowing people to breath with the languid laments of “Leaving You.” New song “Baby Ain’t Made of China” makes an appearance next, a thrashing number that has a lot in common with EP featuring number “She” – all frantic rhythms and howling vocals, which manage to continue at full pelt even after front woman Ellie Roswell gives herself a fat lip on the mic.

Previous single “Bros” is as thrilling as ever – its nostalgia stirring guitar strings wrapping themselves perfectly around our collective memories – while “Hold Your Lighters Up” has a distinctly Violent Femmes flavour to it. The swelling cinematic instrumentals and bittersweet vocals of ”Blush” are rolled out perfectly, so perfectly in fact that for a moment I forget I’m in not listening to a universally acclaimed hit single, and more’s the shame.

But even the fragile, delicate, reverb drenched perfection of “Blush” doesn’t quite prepare us for brand new track “You’re A Germ” – a song which finds Pixies referencing Riot grrrl screetches circling early 90s grunge guitars, and one which we want to hear again immediately.

A circling pit of flailing limbs engulfs the entire bottom level of Dingwalls as the chaos of aforementioned “She” unfolds. Soon a voice from the stage cries “Err the fire alarm has gone off twice and if it goes off again we’re going to have to leave.” Thankfully whoever the prankster lurking at the back was relents and we’re treated to an encore of “Fluffy” and “White Leather”, which have much the same affect as their predecessors – leaving an entranced and frenzied audience definitely feeling as if they’ve been at a party.

We called them ones to watch last year and well, you should keep watching … in fact, don’t take your eyes off them for second.

Setlist
Moaning Lisa’s Smile
Your Love’s Whore
Leaving You
Baby Ain’t Made of China
Bros
Hold Up Your Lighters
Lisbon
Blush
90 Mile Beach
You’re A Germ
She
–
White Leather
Fluffy