Wolf Alice - Rock City Review

Grammy, Brit and Mercury Prize nominated, and winner of Best Live Band at the NME awards. These accomplishments come as no surprise for a band so well practiced, they stamp their rock and roll. An instant mosh among the body tight sold out crowd sparked instantaneously as Nottingham’s Rock City came to life. Glittered faces lit with pure delight when young alt grunge rockers Wolf Alice took centre stage.

Quiet come crashing ‘Your Loves Whore’ showcased frontwoman Ellie Roswell’s haunting yet magical tones in their full glory from the get-go, leaving swoops of hair swishing through the crowd.

An enchanting spell was cast. Ripping through critically acclaimed debut My Love Is Cool, Wolf Alice need no reminding that they are the leaders of the pack. Their fairy tale-esque lyricism burns fiery cautionary tales of coming-of-age. Fluidly injecting their hour long set with dazzling lights and evocative melodies.

Rubbed with shoegaze, their indie whispers clash with triumphant grunge projection, brisk and invigorating. Riled with angst, the gloriously infectious ‘You’re A Germ’ left the crowd wide-eyed with wonder, falling victim to the sing-along chorus. Slowing building before a crashing fall from grace into a thunderous chant ‘You aint going to heaven, cos I’m dragging you down to hell’ Rock City sprung to life with immense drums and cocky riffs.

Adrenaline-charged swagger comes in the form of uncompromising highlight ‘Giant Peach’ as Roswell grimaced “I’m dark and pretty down” and fans seriously lose their shit, turning feral for four minutes. Sweet ode to friendship ‘Bros’ fizzled with love, whilst effortlessly cool ‘Freazy’ echoed with trip-hop trance.

Unleashing ‘Fluffy’, beer was strewn in manic energy among the untameable crowd of surfers. Clearly a fan-favourite, Roswell’s screams of the middle eight are a stand-out moment of the entire set, whilst guitarist Joff Oddie riles with slick licks of his instrument.

Wolf Alice came and conquered Nottingham, again.