Smile: A Mega-Fan's Love Letter to Wolf Alice
Written by Susan Massey
Photography by Colin LaVaute
Editor’s Note: The day that Wolf Alice, a former BMMH guest, was to play Delmar Hall in St. Louis, I received an email from their publicist, offering a press pass. At the show, I met the author of this piece. Susan had an indelible joy for the band that couldn’t be denied as she saw my camera gear and asked that I might pass a letter of endearment to the band for her. While I told her that I wouldn’t be talking with the band, I did ask her if she had interest in contributing to the Big Muddy Blog. I’m glad I did. Enjoy.
When you think of a rock show, you want headbanging, sweat, and loudness. You want primal energy and a group effort to go hard as fans. Wolf Alice, the four piece rock band from London that spans several genres over their three full length albums, delivers this well. But not just this, they also bring gentle, swaying songs, and a pop dance anthem that can reach anyone of any age who's ever had a crush.
Wolf Alice is an all encompassing band that has grown so much through each album they release that you have to stop and admire the creative process you're able to witness through listening to them or attending their shows. Their artistry shines in their authenticity and their cohesion as a band in reading each other well and feeding off of each other's energies in a way that further amplifies the powerful live experience they always bring to their very loyal fans.
Consisting of Ellie Rowsell(vocals), Theo Ellis (bass) Joff Oddie (guitar), and Joel Amey (drums), Wolf Alice has been rocking out as well as bringing beautiful ballads since 2012. Their most recent album, Blue Weekend, has received high critical acclaim.
I happen to be a mega fan. Upon discovering their pop hit "Don't Delete the Kisses " in 2018, I spent hours delving deep into their discography, headbanging around my room to their heavier rock songs, and listening in contemplation to their more calm songs.
All the while, I was amazed by the diversity of each song and the unique lyrics and story telling, as well as Ellie's strong vocals that go straight to the heart. Since then, they've became a soundtrack to my life; an unwavering companion to all of life's hardships and joys.
I had previously driven nine hours on a whim to catch a show of theirs in Ohio simply because I couldn't wait for the Nashville show much longer and wanted to see them sooner. Their music has a way of really connecting to all facets of their (very loyal) fans lives and bringing the fans back again and again for more, myself included. It's a true rush to experience them.
So, I was of course a ball of excitement once again upon attending their third show of mine on this U.S tour April 12th at the Delmar Hall in St Louis. At 750 people capacity, Delmar Hall is a surprisingly small venue for the band considering they can sell out very large venues in England within minutes. Given that they're still taking off here in the states it’s a gift for us fans who want to rush to the front row as doors open.
The set has been consistent through the u.s tour, including mostly songs from their latest album "Blue Weekend " with old classics in just the right places. Wolf Alice fans know and appreciate their whole catalog in all of it's unique sounds, and their shows honor the diversity of their albums.
Starting the set explosively with their anthemic rocker "Smile", they got the crowd going wild as soon as the set began. Theo, the bassist, loves to hype up the crowd and is quick to get everyone loud and screaming, and he succeeds.
His big charisma onstage and offstage is a big contributor to how fun the shows are. Smile was a perfect opener as one of the singles from their latest album that displays their growing sound, with the speak-singing verses Ellie sometimes enjoys dabbling in, building up into the energetic guitar driven chorus in which all band members sing together and the sound is rich and echoing.
The show had a 14 song set that covered many of their classics and fan favorites, and moments of insane hard rocking. Visions of a Life, in particular, from their sophomore album, delivered a truly intense rock experience throughout its changes and gradual build up. Such rockers oupled with more gentle slow songs, including an acapella harmony duet with Ellie and Joel during "Safe from Heartbreak". Several songs in the set transitioned in the order as they do in their Blue Weekend album, which was an amazing experience for fans.
In particular, How Can I Make it Ok, a beautiful heartfelt synthy pop song about healing, which had the crowd chanting the refrain in unison and emotion coming over the crowd, leading into the mega fast punk song "Play the Greatest Hits" as it does on the album, had the crowd going wild once again, with Theo pumping everyone up and the band commanding the stage, Ellie dancing wildly and screaming the lyrics "it isn't loud enough" as the music gets louder and heavier throughout the song. In between songs from Blue Weekend they truly went hard on their older rock songs, bringing all the big fans back to their favorites.
After the main set, the band returned for a beautiful encore of two emotionally charged songs: Last Man on Earth, during which Ellie played piano, and finally, Don't Delete the Kisses, their iconic pop dance song that has everyone remembering how it feels to fall in love and be too afraid to tell the person.
From the rocking-out moments showcasing the cohesion and diversity of the bands instrumental talents to the gentle moments that captured Ellie's beautiful and sustained vocal ability, the show would have been a great introduction to all that Wolf Alice is capable of for anyone new to the band. The full lineup wasn't actually in attendance, which of course brought some changes in sound. Joff, their guitarist, and Ryan, the pianist they had join for tours, were unable to make it. The musicians hired to replace them did hold their own and handled their spots just fine.
This show was one of their very last on this USA tour before they hit Australia, and after almost a year of touring already, you'd think you may notice some fatigue, but there was not a hint of it. Wolf Alice was interactive with the crowd, cracking jokes and engaging often. They love their fans and often chat with them after shows and take time to take photos, Theo and Joel often cracking jokes with fans along the way. I'm lucky to have chatted with them after each show now and to have gotten the chance to express my gratitude towards their music and its impact on my life.
Wolf Alice's stage energy is always incredible. They command the audience with their passion and loudness, with their dedication to amplifying the songs in a way that bring them to life so fully and hits every emotion. This show was no different - complete presence and excitement and perfect execution of each song.
I witnessed the beautiful moment of a man in his late sixties, maybe early seventies, front row headbanging joyfully singing every word right next to teenagers in awe of their first time witnessing the bands massive stage presence and talents performing, one girl just staring with a slightly open jaw. One great thing about this band is they bring together people of all ages and interests as they have such a cohesive sound and their live experience that is always full of such power that brings people back with excitement.
Their songwriting captures so many facets of life and the full range of human emotions and experiences. Their albums and live performances fully reflect an act that knows what it means to truly be innovative and to channel authenticity into their shows.
This was another incredible, high energy, Wolf Alice show for the books, and for me. Just one of many more to come with the band that I consider to be incomparable and truly worth fully delving into.