Stepping into “The Clearing”: An evening with Wolf Alice at Camp and Furnace

This May, four years after releasing Blue Weekend, a bold mix of grunge and shoe-gaze pop, Wolf Alice made their return with “Bloom Baby Bloom”, an electrifying piano-infused rock track, and the first single from their fourth and most recent album, The Clearing. Now, having listened to the album in full, to me, “Bloom Baby Bloom” seems a perfect choice of song for listeners to enter The Clearing. For Wolf Alice fans, there is familiarity in this track, a rock banger with Ellie Rowsell’s bold, expressive vocals. However, its striking employment of 70s-inspired percussion and piano firmly set itself apart from anything we had seen from them before, promising a new era of Wolf Alice.

Two singles followed; first it was “The Sofa”. In contrast to the powerfully ambitious and fierce arrival of “Bloom Baby Bloom”, “The Sofa” offers warmth in a laidback reflection of life, delivering a sincere piece of storytelling. Next, it was “White Horses” a forward-moving, pulsating guitar track about heritage and identity, and vocally led by drummer Joel Amey, a nod to the My Love is Cool era. When listening to the lyrics of all three singles, the themes of self-acceptance and self-assurance soon become clear: “watch me, yeah, you’ll see just what I am worth” / “I’ll be fine, I’ll be okay” / “know who I am, that’s important to me”. There is no doubt that the three singles make for the perfect introduction to The Clearing, a fitting title considering its themes.

This new era has seen a series of intimate live shows from the band, beginning in Paris in June. I was hoping they’d do the same in the UK at some point, and to my luck, in mid-August they made the announcement that they would be doing a show in London and in Liverpool! Although I failed to get tickets in the first drop of tickets, fortunately, they decided to add an earlier show on the Liverpool date, and I ended up with tickets to see them at Camp and Furnace on the 1^st of September.

The crowd cheered as Wolf Alice took to the stage, opening with the bold “Formidable Cool” from their second album, Visions of A Life. Already, the band’s stage presence and Rowsell’s vocal talent leapt out, making it clear to the audience that they were in for a treat. The setlist saw tracks from all four of their albums, from the grungy tone of “Smile” to the dreamy fan-favourite “Don’t Delete the Kisses”. One thing is for sure: this band has range. “Just Two Girls” from their new album was followed by “Bros” from their debut album, reminding the audience of their growth and progression as a band. Playing these songs in succession seemed rather fitting, as they are both odes to friendship with notes of nostalgia. A definite highlight from the set for me was the welcome surprise of “Lisbon” from debut album My Love is Cool, as well as Rowsell’s captivating vocals in the performance of “Thorns”, which serves as the opening track of The Clearing. Following a rendition of “The Sofa”, and after bass player Theo Ellis’ shoutout to a fan wearing a My Love is Cool T-shirt, the band closed with a thrilling performance of “Giant Peach”, a perfect ending for an enthusiastic crowd.

Boldly dipping into new sounds and taking new inspirations, Wolf Alice are undoubtedly in full bloom, and their performance at Camp and Furnace encapsulates this sentiment. The intimate shows that have come with this era feel like a cosy, thoughtful present from an old friend, as this band (rightfully) only gets bigger and bigger.

For more live music reviews, click here:

https://www.liverpoolguildstudentmedia.co.uk/category/reviews