Wolf Alice are an English rock band from London, England. Formed in 2010 as an acoustic duo comprising singer Ellie Rowsell and guitarist Joff Oddie, Wolf Alice have also featured bassist Theo Ellis and drummer Joel Amey since 2012. Wolf Alice played their first gig at Highbury Garage, December 2010 supporting April in the Shade, after Rowsell and Oddie met the band at an open mic at the

Hope and Anchor, Islington Hope and Anchor is a pub on Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington which first opened its doors in 1880. During the mid-1970s it was one of the first pubs to embrace the emergent, but brief, phenomenon of pub rock. With the decline of ...

. They released their debut single " Fluffy" in February 2013 and followed it with " Bros" in May. They released their debut EP '' Blush'' in October, and its follow-up '' Creature Songs'' in May 2014. In February 2015, the band released the lead single "Giant Peach" from their debut album ''

My Love Is Cool ''My Love Is Cool'' is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Wolf Alice. It was released on 22 June 2015 in the United Kingdom by Dirty Hit and on 23 June 2015 in the United States by RCA Records. The album includes the previ ...

'', which was released in June 2015. It includes their 2014 single " Moaning Lisa Smile", which peaked at number nine on US ''Billboard''s

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...

chart in August 2015, and was nominated for the

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance. The band released their second studio album ''

Visions of a Life ''Visions of a Life'' is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Wolf Alice, released on 29 September 2017 through Dirty Hit. The album received acclaim from music critics and appeared on several year-end lists, as well as winnin ...

'' in September 2017. It debuted at number two on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

, and received universal acclaim from music critics. Ranked as one of the year's best albums by multiple publications, the album won the 2018

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the ...

. The band released their third studio album ''

Blue Weekend ''Blue Weekend'' is the third studio album by English alternative rock band Wolf Alice, released on 4 June 2021 through Dirty Hit. ''Blue Weekend'' was preceded by four singles—" The Last Man on Earth", "Smile", "No Hard Feelings" and "How Can ...

'' in June 2021. Wolf Alice won the 2022 Brit Award for British Group.

History

2010–2016: Formation, EPs and ''My Love Is Cool''

Wolf Alice were formed in 2010 and began as an acoustic duo between Ellie Rowsell and Joff Oddie. Their name came from a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

Angela Carter Angela Olive Pearce (formerly Carter, Stalker; 7 May 1940 – 16 February 1992), who published under the name Angela Carter, was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, and journalist, known for her feminist, magical realism, and picar ...

.French, Matthew (2013)
OTW #481: Wolf Alice
, '' Clash'', 26 February 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013Empire, Kitty (2013)
Wolf Alice; Mens Adventures; Blackeye; Must – review
, ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'', 13 January 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013 Eventually deciding to add electric elements to their sound, they recruited Rowsell's childhood friend Sadie Cleary to play bass and Oddie's friend James DC to be their drummer. They self-released an EP called ''Wolf Alice'' that year, featuring three songs: "Every Cloud", "Wednesday", and "Destroy Me". When James DC broke his wrist in 2012, Joel Amey joined the band as a temporary replacement drummer, but later became a permanent member. In that same year, Cleary left to focus on her studies. Theo Ellis was then recruited as their bassist in late 2012.Tinkham, Chris (2015)
Wolf Alice: The Best of What's Next
, '' Paste'', 16 June 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015 They released the song "Leaving You" online on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

as a free download which gained airplay from

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...

and featured in '' NME''s 'Radar' section. After the song was released, they toured with

Peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

, and recorded a session for

Huw Stephens Huw Meredydd Stephens (born 25 May 1981) is a Welsh radio and television presenter, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 6 Music. Stephens founded the Sŵn music festival with John Rostron and the yearly s ...

' Radio 1 show in January. They released their first physical single " Fluffy" in February 2013 on the Chess Club label.Wolf Alice in session
, BBC. Retrieved 9 March 2013 Wolf Alice released their second single " Bros" in May on Chess Club Records. "Bros" is one of the first songs that Rowsell wrote, which the band played in their early stages, leading to a tour where the band were supported by bands such as Dressed Like Wolves and Dead New Blood. In October 2013, Wolf Alice released their first official EP called '' Blush'', which was preceded by the release of "She". In December 2013, they were chosen as the single most blogged about artist in the UK in that year by

BBC Radio 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

. In 2014, they signed to Dirty Hit and released their second EP '' Creature Songs'' in May. In December 2014, the band were named "Best Breakthrough Artist" at the UK Festival Awards. In late February 2015, Wolf Alice announced their debut album ''

'', and released the first single from the album, "Giant Peach". In April, they released a reworked version of the fan favourite "Bros" as the second single from their debut album. On 10 June, the band shared a new track, " You're a Germ". ''My Love Is Cool'' was released on 22 June, debuting at number two on the

and receiving highly positive reviews. Later that year, they released "You're a Germ" and "Freazy" as singles, as well as "Lisbon" in 2016. Later in 2016, they toured as a support act for

The 1975 The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer ...

's tour in the US. Filmmaker Michael Winterbottom followed Wolf Alice as they toured in support of ''My Love Is Cool''. He filmed the band and also inserted two actors among them, playing members of the road crew, with a fictional love story developing as they moved from gig to gig. The resulting docudrama film, ''On the Road'', was released in October 2016. According to '' Deadspin'', "In the documentary, Winterbottom captures 16 different gigs and daily life backstage from the point of view of a new member of their crew."

2017–2020: ''Visions of a Life'', Mercury Prize Win

In June 2017, Wolf Alice released the lead single "

Yuk Foo "Yuk Foo" is a song by English alternative rock band Wolf Alice from their second studio album ''Visions of a Life''. It was released on 12 June 2017 through Dirty Hit as the album's lead single. Background and release On May 2017, the band sta ...

" off their second studio album, ''

''. They released three more singles, " Don't Delete the Kisses", " Beautifully Unconventional", and " Heavenward", before the release of their album on 28 September. In 2018, they also released " Formidable Cool", "

Sadboy "Sadboy" is a song by British alternative rock band Wolf Alice from their second studio album '' Visions of a Life''. It was released on 2 March 2018 through Dirty Hit as the album's sixth single. Writing and recording In a track by track breakd ...

" and " Space & Time" as singles from the album. The band toured throughout 2018, including dates supporting

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) ...

during their Concrete and Gold Tour and

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple lin ...

as part of their Villains World Tour. They also supported

Liam Gallagher William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He achieved fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis from 1991 to 2009, and later fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2009 to 2014, before starti ...

at his concert at

Finsbury Park Finsbury Park is a public park in the London neighbourhood of Harringay. It is in the area formerly covered by the historic parish of Hornsey, succeeded by the Municipal Borough of Hornsey. It was one of the first of the great London parks ...

on 29 June 2018. In September 2018, ''

'' won the 2018

2021–present: ''Blue Weekend''

On 15 February 2021, the band's website was updated to show a looping video of an eye, with the heading " The Last Man on Earth". On 22 February 2021, the band announced that their single "The Last Man on Earth" would be released on 24 February 2021, and would debut on Annie Mac's show on BBC Radio 1. The release of the single was backed by the announcement of their third studio album, ''

'', which was released on 4 June 2021. The second single from the album, "Smile", was released on 20 April 2021. ''Blue Weekend'' received widespread critical acclaim, and was nominated for the 2021 Mercury Prize. On release, music publication The Forty-Five called ''Blue Weekend'' "a ballsy idyll of feeling: the sound of a band satisfying themselves rather than proving themselves, and completely filling the space they’ve carved out over the years." Wolf Alice won the 2022 Brit Award for

Group of the Year The Juno Award for Group of the Year has been awarded annually since 1970 in recognition of the best musical group or band in Canada. It is presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). The five nominees in the category ...

. On October 29th 2021, the band released ''Blue Weekend: Tour Deluxe'' which includes four live versions of tracks from the album ('Smile', 'How Can I Make it OK', 'Safe From Heartbreak', and 'The Last Man on Earth') as well as a live cover of 'Bobby' by

Alex G Alexander Giannascoli (born February 3, 1993), better known by his stage names Alex G or, formerly, (Sandy) Alex G, is an American musician, producer, and singer-songwriter. He started his career with DIY self-releases on Bandcamp and began bui ...

. On 5 May 2022, the band released a lullaby version of " The Last Man on Earth" as a single and announced ''Blue Lullaby'', an EP featuring reworked lullaby versions of five tracks from ''

'', which was subsequently released on 24 June 2022. During the summer of 2022, the band played 17 shows supporting Harry Styles' Love On Tour, the first date in Hamburg on the 26th of June and the last show in Lisbon on the 31st of July.

Musical style and influences

While the group's early material was folk-tinged pop, they became more rock-oriented after the rhythm section joined.Balmont, James
Wolf Alice
, ''Crack''. Retrieved 9 March 2013Burman, Nicholas (2013)
Wolf Alice / The Waiting Room
", ''

Artrocker Artrocker is a UK-based collective involved in music promotion and publishing. It was started by Paul Cox and Tom Fawcett who had been co-promoters of a London night called The Sausage Machine. Having started life with an online newsletter and eve ...

''. Retrieved 9 March 2013 Generally, the band's musical style has been described as

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produ ...

, and

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming vol ...

, with elements of

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

, folk,

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of ...

, pop, and electronic. '' Clash'' described the band as "the lovechild of folk and grunge". The "Fluffy" single saw the band compared to

Elastica Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by ex- Suede members Justine Frischmann and Justin Welch. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave music. The band's members changed several times ...

and Hole, while the single's B-side, "White Leather", saw comparisons to

The xx The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), an ...

.Wilkinson, Matt (2013)
New Music – Wolf Alice, 'Fluffy'
, '' NME'', 4 January 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013Petherton, Webbs (2013)
Singles for the week starting 11th February!
", ''

''. Retrieved 9 March 2013Murray, Robin (2013)
Listen: Wolf Alice – White Leather
, '' Clash'', 30 January 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013 Kitty Empire, writing in ''

'', described their sound as "an engaging strain of off-kilter indie rock". The band describe their music as "rocky pop".Griffin, Angus (2013)
New Noise: Wolf Alice interview
", ''Wonderland'', 28 February 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013 ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'' declare Wolf Alice's debut album as 'feral and sophisticated' in review. In interviews, the band has cited their liking for The Vines,

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine ...

, Blur, and

Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as ...

. Rowsell's

voice type A voice type is a group of voices with similar vocal ranges, capable of singing in a similar tessitura, and with similar vocal transition points ('' passaggi''). Voice classification is most strongly associated with European classical music, ...

is classified as

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880& ...

Band members

Current members * Ellie Rowsell – lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, piano (2010–present) * Joff Oddie – guitar, violin, synthesizers, backing vocals (2010–present) * Theo Ellis – bass guitar, synthesizers, backing vocals (2012–present) * Joel Amey – drums, percussion, synthesizers, backing vocals (2012–present) Current touring musicians * Ryan Malcolm – keyboards, synthesizers, piano, percussion, backing vocals (2021–present) Former members * Sadie Cleary – bass (2010–2012) * James DC – drums (2010–2012)

Discography

Studio albums *''

'' (2015) *''

'' (2017) *''

'' (2021)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2010 establishments in England English indie rock groups Musical groups established in 2010 Musical groups from London Musical quartets Brit Award winners NME Awards winners RCA Records artists Dirty Hit artists Dream pop musical groups Female-fronted musical groups