There may never be a show as intimate with Wolf Alice again. Some went to Nuit Blance but the un-missable moment Saturday was at Adelaide Hall. All the way from the UK, Ellie Rowsell, Joff Oddie, Joel Amey, Theo Ellis, better known as Wolf Alice, played a sold-out show with Drenge and it was every bit as epic as that sounds.
Drenge
From overseas brothers Eoin and Rory Loveless make up Drenge, as well as, touring-mate and bassist Rob Graham. An unfamiliar start to the evening ended in familiar motions of head-banging, dancing and a found love for the brothers. Two albums down, Drenge has a daunting rock sound that enclasped Adelaide Hall. Starting off the night, the played songs off their album and tackled something a little more unknown to their fans.
“Taylor Swift is playing tonight,” Eoin said. The mates shared a look and without a word, busted into a hardcore-grunge version of Swift’s We Are Never Getting Back Together, that, even as a joke, was sadly better than the original. After a shared laugh, they busted back into their set which inevitably ended with Eoin on the ground, Graham bend-over, and Rory sweaty and so drenched in their performance, they walked off stage to a shrilling guitar.
Wolf Alice
Rowsell walked on stage with a smile that couldn’t hide her excitement, the crowd goes wild as she moved to the front. Smiling into the bright lights and over-excited audience, with eyes so appreciative, she scanned the filled room before unleashing herself. On either side of Ellie, Joff Oddie, (guitar) plays with an energy that rushes straight into the crowd. Bassist, Theo Ellis dances decked in glitter, to the girls at the front who brought their own tubes of glittering glue that they’ve smeared beneath their eyes to match him. At the back, drummer Joel Amey dazzles like a true rockstar from under a mess of hair, layer of sweat and a musically endued trance. All put-together in a blue velvet shirt and slacks, you could see as he grew further away from the reality and further into the music with each song, playing to the moment.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. There is nothing better than a ‘baby band’. Watching an amazing band rise to their rightful spot in glory is pretty satisfying and special when you get to see it first hand. The venues get bigger, as do the crowds. But right in the middle of the take off, they play those perfect shows, where the sizeable crowd is enthralling but not overwhelming, and the venue is still intimate enough so the show doesn’t feel like a spectacle.
With the fast growing successes of Wolf Alice since their break-out video, Moaning Lisa Smile, in 2014 there has been no going back to their days of sleeping on floors while touring. Releasing a stunning debut, My Love Is Cool, back in June of this year the band is quickly catching fire wherever they go. After hearing the album it’s pretty clear why. With perfectly mastered melodies, a good old rock sound and an attitude embedded into each song, the four-piece band has a sound that sticks with you.
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