I’ve always held the belief that we should set ourselves goals in life, no matter how insignificant or magnanimous – to help us get to where we want to be. Since starting out as a music journalist at the ripe old age of 15, I always had one clear target in mind – to photograph my favorite band.
The love started when I was perusing iTunes (yes, back when that still existed and not Apple Music) and stumbled across a less-than-quaint track titled ‘Giant Peach’. Having been a novel buff as a child, the name intrigued me, after the first listen the roaring bass lines and screeching vocals struck as slightly intense, but after a few walks around the block, I was well and truly infatuated.
Fast forward almost seven years, and here I am, sitting on a train to Liverpool with a million and one bags containing various photography paraphernalia, with one thought encompassing my mind “holy sh*t, tonight is the night”.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve photographed ‘big’ bands before, from The Libertines to Cage The Elephant and Stereophonics, but this time it was different, Wolf Alice soundtracked my tumultuous teenage years and led to the formation of one of the best friendships I’ve ever had (hey Josie).
Originally scheduled for January, but hitting a halt due to the increase in COVID cases, Wolf Alice’s run of UK tour dates comes in support of their highly regarded third album released in June of last year. Blue Weekend details the intricacies of life, without steering too far away from their indie-rock roots.
Preceded by the melancholy musings of Matt Maltese seated at, and delicately dancing along the piano keys, the crowd were drawn into dabblings of cynical, yet hopeful bedroom-pop cuts. Plucked from his 2021 album, ‘You Deserve An Oscar’ was met by a chorus of fed-back lyrics as his accompanying musicians delivered an astounding performance.
Ending his set with the bleak narrative of ‘As The World Caves In‘, Maltese reflects on the downfalls of relationships and ponders the future of humanity within the-then current political climate.
Just as the clock hit 9 pm, the lights shut off, plunging the crowd into darkness before shadows could be seen slowly making their way across the stage before fans broke out into cheers as Ellie entered.
Slipping flawlessly through songs old and new, Wolf Alice dipped into their heft back-catalogue to bring some of their greatest hits to the Liverpudlian stage. From delivering a delicate rendition of the track nabbed for the Trainspotting 2 soundtrack, ‘Silk’, to whisking us away into their newest ventures with heart-wrenching performances of ‘How Can I Make It Okay’ and the sultry ‘Feeling Myself’. One thing’s for sure, and it’s that the London quartet knows how to captivate an audience and have them hanging off of every last syllable.
As far as encores go, Wolf Alice never shy away from delivering the best of the best. Returning to the stage to deliver an emotive rendition of the premier single from their latest album, ‘The Last Man On Earth’ struck a chord (no pun intended) and had the crowd echoing back Ellie’s angelic vocals.
After a raging thunder of applause from doting fans, the foursome dove into ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’ – an almost holiday-oriented performance considering the proximity to Valentine’s Day.
Despite some glaring classics missing from the setlist (‘Fluffy’), there wasn’t a single less-than ecstatic face in the crowd.
From the high-octane ‘Play The Greatest Hits’ to the delicate lamentations of ‘Lipstick On The Glass’ – Wolf Alice hit all of the right notes, and far exceeded their fan’s expectations.
Photographs and words by Lana Williams
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.