Glowing in the success of their debut single 'Fluffy' and most recent notable release 'Bros' Wolf Alice continue on their May/June tour bringing their DIY Indie-Pop sound to the Welsh Capital on June 1st.
With an early curfew at Cardiff's Buffalo Bar things got underway pretty quick with Ellie Makes Music opening the evenings proceedings. Now there's no denying the abundance of singer songwriters in the UK at any given time, so standing out from the crowd can be quite a difficult thing to achieve. Ellie seems to have no problem with this though. Despite being just 19 she has already earned support slots opening for bands such as Lucy Rose, Paper Aeroplanes and Ellen & The Escapades all adding to the confidence she displays tonight as her angelic voice breaks around the room. Whilst the venue remains rather empty (Poor promotion, who knows) Ellie gives a stellar performance contradicting the quiet presence she holds on stage as she delicately introduces songs before washing you over with her evocative and painstakingly beautiful lyrics.

Wolf Alice

By the time Wolf Alice take to the stage, the crowd has picked up a little. With better promotion, the night could perhaps have been an even bigger success, but with smiles from the band and a sizeable audience eager to soak up some live music, things get off to a powerful start.

With only a handful of songs to their name, the London four-piece have already created quite a buzz across the blogosphere, proving you don’t need an album to make an impression. Featuring on countless ‘top five bands to check out’ lists across music blogs and webzines, Wolf Alice are a name we’re likely to hear a lot more of this summer. And as their melodic songs unfold tonight, they’re a name we should be seeing a lot more of, too.

In stark contrast to the support act, Wolf Alice waste little time in rolling out their warm, expansive melodies. Crashing cymbals and pounding snares lend an edgy, ‘90s revival feel to the band’s otherwise calm and collected sound. Lead singer Ellie Rowsell’s vocals occasionally get lost among the jangly guitars and kick drums, perhaps suffering from being too low in the mix, but the band hold their own, powering through a short but sweet set of tracks we’ve grown to love.

With the crowd comprising an unusual mix of students and middle-aged adults, it’s clear that Wolf Alice are far from pigeonholed, appealing to a broad cross-section of music fans. And that’s never a bad thing. It’s a great sight to see the audience hanging on every word as Rowsell’s distinctive crooning echoes around the room. The band’s early folk influences remain at the heart of their sound, particularly on ‘Leaving You’, which gradually soars in a way reminiscent of early Fleet Foxes before breaking into its amped-up Americana rhythm.

As they close with ‘Bros’, which earns the biggest reaction of the night, someone even shouts “I love Joff!”, a line from the introduction to their new video. With its swirling, danceable energy, the track provides a fitting finale. It’s abundantly clear that Wolf Alice know their place in the scene, carving out their own identity through a distinctive sound and an endearing quirkiness. Sounding fuller live, without taking anything away from their recordings, they prove equally compelling in a venue with less-than-ideal acoustics as they do on record. To me, that’s a sign of great musicianship. A debut album, surely, can’t be too far away.

Wolf Alice continue their tour throughout June at the below dates:

Monday 3rd June Joiners, Southampton
Tuesday 4th June The Lexington, London
Wednesday 5th June Jericho, Oxford
Thursday 6th June Shipping Forecast, Liverpool
Friday 7th June Esquires, Bedford
Saturday 8th June 60 Million Postcards, Bournemouth
 
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