Photos and words by Jessica Xing
As the fourth show of its North American tour celebrating its new album The Clearing, Wolf Alice played to a sold-out audience at Union Transfer in Philly September 15th.
The English rock band from London was first formed in 2010 and has created music spanning genres including alternative rock, indie rock, and dream pop. Not having gone on tour since 2022, there was no shortage of excitement in the audience as fans crowded in, filling up all the available space in the venue.
As Wolf Alice took the stage, it launched right into the first song on their new album (“Thorns”). Despite the album being recently released in August, a majority of the audience already knew the lyrics and had no trouble singing along. The energy picked up even more in the third song, “Formidable Cool”, where lead singer Ellie Rowsell confidently danced around the stage in a black-and-white leotard and white heeled boots, all while showing off her powerful vocals by belting the lyrics. The entire band upheld this energy, swinging their hair back and forth and occasionally spinning around on stage.
Emphasizing the ‘70s and ‘80s influences in The Clearing, a disco ball dropped down from the top of the venue to the pleasant surprise of the audience, right before the band launched into “Just Two Girls”. Throughout the show, Wolf Alice treated the audience to popular songs from both its new and old albums. This included the grungier, more hard-hitting songs “Yuk Foo” and “Play The Greatest Hits”.
Closing off the main set with “The Sofa”, Wolf Alice came back for a two-song encore, starting with “Moaning Lisa Smile” and ending with its biggest hit, “Don’t Delete the Kisses”. As the disco ball reappeared and bubbles filled the stage, fans and band members alike danced together non-stop for the entirety of the last song, ending the night on a high note.
Wolf Alice will be continuing its North American tour through mid-October, with tour dates found here. Watch the music video for The Clearing track “Just Two Girls” below and keep scrolling to see more photos from the show.
