LIVE REVIEW: WOLF ALICE'S INTIMATE UK TOUR, BOILEROOM, GUILDFORD

This was one of them life changing gigs. It’s one I know I’ll look back on in years to come with the faintest, yet fondest, of memories. An experience that managed to open my eyes to the sounds of a band that would then forever stand alongside the most elite musical intrigues of my perception. They’ve joined, not just a collection but, an army of bands that remain strong against time and style. ‘Old’ and ‘out of touch’ are terms that will never affect such a widely diverse and enlightening allure.

Wolf Alice truly are one of the greats of our generation, even at such a premature stage of their career. They’ve sky rocketed to fame since the release of their debut album ‘My Love is Cool’ back in 2015 reaching the lofty heights of headline sets at London’s Alexandra Palace, a hometown milestone for them I’m sure. To get the opportunity to see them in such an intimate setting after jumping on the bandwagon at such a late stage really is an experience to be relished. To the average reader this may sound like an overly sensationalised summary of an evening that could otherwise have been described as ‘just like any other gig’. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. I feel genuinely blessed to have witnessed such an outstanding performance of live music.

We’re making this sound like we’ve never even heard of Wolf Alice before last Friday, but that’s not the case either. This was our first Wolf Alice gig, but we’ve been familiar with their music since back in late 2014. I know….. shock. It’s an absolute disgrace, how have we managed to go this long without seeing them live! Well we have now and we certainly will be every time they tour the UK from now on. We’d been meaning to get out and catch them live for some time, so when the Slaves-esque ‘back in the van’ tour was announced on social media we decided what better time to grab a few tickets and see what the fuss was all about. Boileroom in Guildford was one of the dates announced, it would literally be criminal not to go see them at our local haunt.

With their second album ‘Visions Of A Life’ on the way and the wrap up of the summer US tour, Wolf Alice are now firmly back on the music industry crazy train. We’ve had three singles to date, which we assume will be all for now until the album’s release at the end of the month. “Yuk Foo” is a rage ridden serenade to punk rocks teenage heartstrings; it sets a bold tone as their first release and audaciously guides fans down a blind alley with their tails between their legs. It left us expecting a heavier, more ruthless, tone to the new album which was abruptly wiped off the agenda with the release of ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’ a pop punk sonnet that’ll leave you floating in limbo. Their final single release was ‘Beautifully Unconventional’ a radio hit that sounds like it’s crawled out of an 80’s nighclub in Brixton. Only a really brief round-up of the released tracks, but we assume you’ve all been playing them non-stop already anyway.

Guildford isn’t the most inspiring place on the British map, it’s largely littered with Ralph Lauren shirts, Waitrose and mustard Chinos but one thing is certain, there will be a few hundred hungry hipsters crawling out of the woodwork in their charity shop garms for an occasion like this. The venue was heaving; navigating brave quests to the bar were a tactical nightmare. You’d need to discuss various routes and stops like the men of the Nights Watch going beyond the wall. He who wields the dragonglass blade shall make safe passage. You turn up late and you’ve got about as much chance of seeing the stage as Nigel Farage has of going on a date with Michelle Obama. Don’t be afraid to get out that fighting license for your elbows, they’re gunna’ need to be legally classed as a weapon if you want to make your way over to smokers. Sure, it’s an interestingly arranged venue but that’s part of its charm and quirk. Sweat’s dripping off the ceilings, beers being split over people’s arms and backs as you attempt to squeeze through the crowd and find your friends. Just how we like it! This quaint little place is the Holy Grail for those of us in and around the surrounding areas of Guildford who have and alternative view on how to spend the ‘ideal Friday night out on the town’. God bless you Boileroom and all you do for the local area! Don’t eva change xx

Wolf Alice hit the stage at 10pm opening up with our favourite of their new releases ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’. It instilled an aura of calm serenity almost immediately. Their presence was captivating; those faint whispers as the lights dimmed and the stage was graced, abruptly silenced into awestruck expression. That annoying sensation of needing a raging piss right before kick-off drifted to the back of my mind without detection. As Flight of The Conchords would say ‘it’s business time…..’.

The setlist was a sight to behold, jam packed with a selection of glorious numbers from the extended edition of “My Love Is Cool” and a taste of some new material. We moved onto, fan favourite, ‘Bros’ which lifted the tempo ever so slightly, unleashing a subtle sway and bop on the Surrey crowd. The momentum continued to build and guitars began to roar as we we’re carefully thrashed into ‘You’re a Germ’ and new banger ‘Yuk Foo’. Wolf Alice aren’t a band for crowd banter, there’s little to no interaction and to be honest it doesn’t really matter in the slightest. It’s not that kind of gig. We’re not at an angsty punk gig where constant hype man material is a thing of the norm. Or a garage/indie gig where the lead singer things he’s a part time stand-up comedian. They get on with what they are doing and I admire that, let the music speak for itself as the wise men/women say.

It’s banger after banger after banger tonight as they play ‘Lisbon’ for the Friday night ravers. I could go home right now and still class this as a top 10 all-time gig, it really is something else! ‘Your Loves Whore’ and ‘Blush’ were up next. ‘Blush’ is probably our favourite Wolf Alice track, it’s a masterpiece. It has the power to lull you into a sedative state and live this transcendent prowess silences a room full of rowdy people effortlessly. Throughout you can feel the momentum building as Ellie gracefully sings the words ‘I’m happy, now’ to the encapsulated onlookers in front of her. Hearing this track live was incredible. It’s absolutely phenomenal and to be perfectly honest I’m struggling to sum the experience up in words as I’m sure you can tell by now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_QBC_pDkeU

‘Beautifully Unconventional’ rounds up the golden triangle of new tracks for tonight……. or does it? We’re graced with the presence of yet another unheard track, ‘Formidable Cool’. Guitarist Joff eagerly urges the crowd to keep their phones in their pockets to avoid ‘spoiling the surprise’ for everyone else. As we’re all aware of by now, bands often play a few teaser tracks live in the lead up to their album releases. Nine times out of ten there’s a sea of smartphones flashing across the crowd filming the sneak peak. It’s straight home and straight up on Youtube to share with, quite literally, the entire world. Guys if you’re one of them, just don’t. You can’t beat pre-ordering an album, waiting for it to arrive and having a proper sit down listen to it. Start to finish, uninterrupted and completely unheard before! From what we heard of the new track though we can safely say this album is going to go down in the history books!

As we reach the final stretch, Wolf Alice pull out all the stops. It’s time for the big boys to come out to play. ‘Silk’, ‘Fluffy’ and ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’ bring the gig to a colossal end slowly picking up the pace and injecting the crowd with some unexpected energy. Where did that come from? The Boileroom’s finest have gone from solemn sobers to frantic crack house on reload night in about five seconds. Let’s have it! They blast through the last fifteen minutes of their set in a flash. Professional, sharp, eloquent and rowdy is reasonable attempt at a summary of this powerful finale. They’ve really created a niche for themselves as a band in terms of style and sound. There are clear connotations of certain inspirations but nothing stands out. There’s obvious touches of 90’s grunge, but the continual focus on melody creates this grand aura that screams originality. It’s punky aswell, Ellie’s vocals are intangibly diverse going from angel in heaven to swagger drenched rock queen in no time at all. Her rhymes and riddles roll of the tounge with a seductive charm, like she’s reaching for a handshake but could swipe away and clout you round the head before you’ve even noticed where you are. I don’t think there’s been a band with such fluidity and precision in my era for sure. They’re a well-oiled machine, each instrument complements the other seamlessly. Nothing is ever overpowering, the focus is clearly on Ellie’s incredible vocals but without the creativity of the other accompaniments this band just wouldn’t be the same.

They exit stage right abruptly after the closing note of ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’ but surely that’s not it? Where’s ‘Giant Peach’? Obviously they’re coming back on for an encore, people would start burning the place down if they didn’t. If you haven’t yet been out to see Wolf Alice live I would STRONGLY suggest you do. I’ve never really been madly into melodic music, my heart loves to be sucker punched with a rock and roll defibrillator. But Wolf Alice have really opened my eyes over the years. They’ve unlocked an untapped area of my musical mind that I didn’t even know existed and hopefully the new album will open another few areas of my empty brain…. who knows?