Wolf Alice at Manchester Academy review

Image: Wolf Alice

Contrary to the popular band development arc, Wolf Alice bided their time in releasing a debut album. Instead they dangled their explosive calling card aloft the gaping jaws of music consumers via four EPs, released over the space of three years. 

The result, My Love Is Cool, far from disappointed. Aside from planting into 'Best Breakthrough' category at the BRITS, it provided British indie music with fresh impetus; its multi-faceted output fist bumping the grungy depths of alt-rock as much as it grazed in hushed elegance. 

The common denominator that drew each fragment together was lead-singer Ellie Roswell, one of the most rousing female leads that rock music has seen in a generation. On this night, she piqued the audiences gaze throughout, clad in a spotless white dress that spoke more pop princess than gritty punk songstress. 

This is not the kind of dress sense you'd associate with a woman who echoes a chorus that insists on "dragging you down to hell", but pre-conceived thoughts do not apply with Wolf Alice. Even more so when considering the Win Butler style face paint streaked across their faces and Joel Amey's gold glittery drum kit. 

The four-piece often drifted from dainty passages led by Roswell's hushed vocal to chasms of barbed punk-noise in an instant, causing each member to disperse across the stage with guitars tilted. 

While Wolf Alice have became synonymous with their usage of contrasting tones, their cornerstone lies in their ability to burst into radiant and flitting melodies like on 'Bros' or 'Your Loves Whore.' 

In Ellie Roswell they have a fantastic singer and the stripped-back songs like 'Silk' or 'Freazy' made that heavily apparent during the set.

Manchester Arena serves almost as a midi-arena, and rather than swallowing her vocal up it emphasised Ellie's control of the raw power in her voice to evoke similarities with London Grammar's Hannah Reid.

Just like on the album, Ellie's voice parted for Joel's on the distant yet wholly gratifying 'Swallowtail'. And for once eyes were turned to Theo and an impassioned vibrato riff to out his rock star credentials. 

Delving mid-way into the band's song order, they opted to showcase some of the earlier numbers from the EPs. 'Storms' taken from Creature Songs showcased Theo's effortless ability to pluck a mood capturing bass line, while another soaring guitar riff on '90 Mile Beach' prompted a rollicking response from the audience. 

Where they reach peak form is undoubtedly 'Turn To Dust' (above); Ellie's voice is as equally spectacular live and the progression from optimum bliss to the pulsing instrumental is as gratifying as an encore can get - which is even more telling when they loaded the front-end of the set with the big hitters from the album. 

Wolf Alice are no ordinary band; very few can conjure and execute the contrasting moods in the manner that they do. On this evidence it was easy to see why they reside in that elite, capable of juxtaposing organised chaos. 

Read our interview with Eagulls "How post can post-punk get, now it's 2016?"