London alt rockers Wolf Alice have been enjoying great successes with their latest album The Clearing, and came to Stockholm for the premiere show of the European leg of their tour.
Wolf Alice were formed in London back in 2010 as a duo of singer Ellie Rowsell and guitarist Joff Odie. Drummer Joel Amey and bassist Theo Ellis have been a part of the lineup since 2012.
The band has been acclaimed as one of the most important rock bands of their generation in Britain and they are actually the first act ever to have been nominated for the prestigious Merucy Prize for four different albums (ie. all of their albums). They won the award for their second album Visions of Life.
The band has always been dodging classification in terms of genre, as they have blended influences of indie rock, punk, grunge, shoegaze and more. They have always been somewhere in between and haven’t cared for genre borders.
Their latest (2025) album The Clearing, however seems to have quite a clear unifying and consistent theme of 70s rock sounds in the vein of legends like Fleetwood Mac. It has been well received by the critics and is also a strong personal favorite of mine among this year’s crop of albums.
The concert built heavily on songs from the new album, kicking off with the album opener Thorns which set the tone for the evening, when Ellie appeared from behind the glittery curtain backdrop in her blueish-purple leotard with a white star.
The laid-back and smooth Just Two Girls got the audience swaying while listening to the sultry vocals. And White Horses was an absolute jam, when drummer Joel and Ellie alternated on vocals.
Ellie Rowsell really demonstrated the full range of her vocals during the evening, going from soulful ballads to powerful rock delivery in her soprano, and from punk rock energy to an impeaccable vibrato, and on to the loveliest harmonies together with the other band members. When Ellie came out screaming into a megaphone for Yuk Foo, the energy felt off the charts.
Bloom Baby Bloom ended the main set on an absolute high note with the audience dancing along to the contagious piano rhythm and drum beat that form a rather electrifying whole with Ellie’s vocals going from warm and rich to raspy and raw.
There was the inevitable encore as well, with The Last Man on Earth and Don’t Delete the Kisses, the audience being all smiles by the end of it. The smiles and the good mood continued as the crowd made their way out of the concert hall singing their hearts out to Bohemian Rhapsody, which some genius had put on in the speakers after the lights came on at the end of the show.
All photos © Nina Uddin
