Wolf Alice @ House of Blues 9/20

Photography by Annabel Friedman

Review by Annabel Friedman

Although there were no wolves and nobody in the band is named Alice, the Boston House of Blues had quite the show by up and coming four piece Wolf Alice this past Saturday. After the release of their latest album, “The Clearing,” the band started making moves and taking names on tour with a daring and classic rock stage presence.

The show opened with total darkness and a single silhouette of lead singer Ellie Roswell and a mellow start with the new track “Thorns,” followed by two more chill songs. After the guitar-solo-riddled track, “Formidable Cool,” the band kicked the show into gear with intense light shows and more movement. 

The crowd started to open up, with jumping and head bopping on all sides. My personal favorite moment from the show started with an epic bass solo by bassist Joff Oddie.The crowd went  crazy as Roswell was lit back up again, now holding a bedazzled megaphone. For their headbanger, “Yuk Foo,” Roswell ran up and down the stage screaming her song into the megaphone as police sirens blared in the background. As the show began to reach its end, the band played their penultimate track, “Giant Peach,” off of “The Clearing.”

As the show came to an end, I had a feeling  my biggest concert pet peeve was about to happen: the fake encore. Let’s be real, not a single encore comes from a true refusal of the crowd to leave followed by the artist making an epic return. Instead, the modern encore has turned into a suspenseful water break, where the band waits to play their most popular song last. 

However, when Wolf Alice reappeared in a scream of cheers to close out the show with their biggest hit, “Don’t Delete the Kisses,” the crowd was electric. The energy of the crowd, and the intensity with which they performed the hit, made the moment one of the best encores I have ever seen.