If there’s one thing you can say about Wolf Alice, it’s that no matter how big or small the venue or the crowd, there isn’t a show where they don’t pull out all the stops. Joined by two equally exciting live indie bands, Sunflower Bean (hailing from New York), and Superfood (who have recently been reincarnated with a slightly new line-up and completely fresh sound), the group made no exception to this rule as they played one of Brighton’s most beautiful venues, The Dome, last Monday night.
First to take to the stage were Superfood. Playing a series of tracks from their recently released second studio album, Bambino, their new electronic, technologically influenced sound intrigued the audience, the reggae style vibes of ‘I Can’t See’ contrasting the more modern sounding ‘Double Dutch’ and the traditionally indie traits of ‘Unstoppable’. Followed by Sunflower Bean, a band covered head to toe in glitter, the crowd were stunned as the vocals of lead singer Julia Cumming swayed between soothingly intense (on tracks such as ‘I Was A Fool’) and more delicately upbeat (such as on ‘Easier Said Than Done’).
Emerging to the euphoric tones of ‘Heavenward’, the crowd went wild as fans eagerly pushed their way to the front and the crowd surfing began as Wolf Alice took to the stage. Lead singer Ellie Rowsell’s instantly recognizable vocals echoed powerfully around the venue, touching those even at the very back of the room, and the chemistry between the band members was tangible despite the reasonable physical distance between them on stage. Despite the set list largely comprising of material taken from their second album, Visions of a Life, released in September, the presence of tracks such as ‘Bros’ and ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’ came as a welcome and very nostalgic surprise to fans who have supported the band from the very beginning.
‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’ bought with it a shower of blue and gold light, bouncing from the spinning disco ball and projecting onto the audience, creating a star-like effect and evoking a magical atmosphere. After almost humorously aggressive requests for encore, the band returned to play classics ‘Blush’ and ‘Giant Peach’. Rowsell’s sweet tones as she sang the lyrics “Curse the things that made me sad for so long // It hurts to think that they could still go” calmed those audience members who had remained rowdy throughout the evening, and served to prove the awe-striking influence of Wolf Alice on their seemingly always captivated audience.
Check out our pictures of Wolf Alice’s Brighton show here.
