On the 23rd of March, Wolf Alice, the North London based four-piece headed by 23 year old Ellie Rowsell, headlined at Nottingham’s Rock City. Ellie revealed halfway through the set that the band had experienced their first fan mosh-pit in Nottingham and, witnessing the Rock City crowd around me that evening, it was certainly easy to believe! To rile up the messy crowd were support act Swim Deep – a five-man band who, in their most recent album ‘Mothers’, have transformed their indie sound through the use of synthesised percussions. The audience were met with the amber-haired frontman Ozzy Williams shrieking at the top of his lungs and plucking his guitar as he held it over his head; I even overheard someone say he looked like he was having a seizure – I felt like I was in the presence of rock royalty.
But as soon as the frontman took out a maraca, I knew the music spoke differently. Rather than head-banging, the room was dancing to the synthesised piano tunes of ‘Fueiho Boogie’ and ‘Namaste’. By the time the band closed with their latest single ‘Grand Affection’, the room was full of energy and all-round good vibes – so much so that many amongst the crowd, including myself, spoke of their undesirably short 30 minute set list. Opening up with the elegantly titled ‘Your Love’s Whore’, Wolf Alice’s petite front girl proved to be way more badass than elegant. As the first verse kicked in, flashing strobe lights were accompanied by the slaying of guitars and rock-god-like screams from Ellie – and, as a rock music fan who had only heard their soft indie radio hits, I was pleasantly surprised.
Yet, when it came to the band’s physical presence, Ellie was far more static compared to her fellow band members – when you come to see a rock show like this, it’s great to see the whole band having just as good of a time as the crowd. Ellie may have been a bit more preoccupied with perfecting her vocals.
Although, saying this, both the instrumentals and vocals were incredibly mesmerising throughout. The song ‘Silk’ showed them off brilliantly as Ellie’s soft vocals clashed with the melancholic electric guitar in the most beautiful way. Closing off with ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’, the crowd’s thirst for punk rock had yet to be quenched as the venue began filling with the chants of hundreds of people wanting more. With three more encore tracks including ‘Turn to Dust’, ‘Blush’, and the NME award-winning track ‘Giant Peach’, their needs were definitely met.
Overall, I would give this gig 5 out of 5. Not only did Swim Deep become my new favourite band, but Wolf Alice put on a fantastic rock show – and that’s all anyone could really want.
For more information on Wolf Alice and Swim Deep, visit their websites:
Edited by Georgina Varley
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