Wolf Alice and the Band’s Fans: A Love Story
Words by Steph Perkins
Photos by Micaela Cerball
(Editor’s Note: We updated this review with more photos on Sept. 20!)
It’s not unusual to see a packed early show at the 9:30 Club, but the excitement was palpable for Wolf Alice to take the stage for their second sold-out show last weekend. While waiting for the main act, I could hear people around me swapping their hopes for the setlist and others wondering if they were going to hear the same set as the night before.
Once Wolf Alice took the stage on Sept. 13, they dove right into the first track off their latest release, The Clearing. The instrumental backing on “Thorns” is already fairly subdued compared to Ellie Rowsell’s powerful vocals, and it was difficult to catch any of it over the chorus of the crowd. Hearing how many people knew the words to a song that had barely been out for three weeks set the tone for the rest of the night.
Watch Wolf Alice perform “Thorns” live on YouTube:
The group continued to command the stage while leaning into some older favorites from their early releases. There was a fan blowing on Ellie from the front of the stage when she wasn’t behind a guitar. In tandem with some dramatic poses, she truly personified “Formidable Cool” while singing it.
The Clearing contains distinct influences from the ’70s and ’80s, which shined on tunes like “Just Two Girls.” As the Mellotron synthesizer tones started from the back of the stage, a disco ball descended from the rafters for the intro. There was a collective feeling of pleasant surprise when the band quickly glanced up in between their parts to catch the new glittering object above the stage. Ellie let out a brief “I love that!” before starting into the first verse.
Around halfway through the set, drummer Joel Amey and their touring keyboardist Ryan Malcolm were invited to the front of the stage to sing a stripped-down version of “Safe From Heartbreak (If You Never Fall in Love).” While it was a great mood shift that created yet another hearty singalong moment for the evening, it doubled as vocal warmups for the guys to jump right into “White Horses” off the new album.
I started to wonder if we would hear any of their harder tracks when a mic’ed-up megaphone made its way onstage with a siren wailing on top. The crowd came close to moshing as Ellie used the megaphone to belt out their 2017 single “Yuk Foo” which transitioned into the similarly grungy “Play the Greatest Hits.”
Watch the official music video for “Play the Greatest Hits” by Wolf Alice on YouTube:
The main set concluded with “Bros” and “The Sofa,” two hits on opposing ends of their body of work with equal amounts of audience participation. The crowd helped carry the a capella break for the bridge in “Bros,” and everyone was enamored by Ellie wailing out the last chorus of “The Sofa.” Despite a somber ending to their main set, the house eagerly awaited to see what they had brewing for their encore.
When Wolf Alice returned to the stage, they came out guns blazing with “Moaning Lisa Smile” to reinvigorate the room. The guitar-heavy hit was the perfect punch, ensuring everyone was ready for their final song.
It was inevitable that their biggest hit “Don’t Delete the Kisses” would show up in the set, but the band set the stage for a dreamy and fun finale for this almost two-hour performance. The disco ball reappeared, and the room started to fill with bubbles. The biggest dance party of the night was unfolding in front of us with Ellie even joining part of the crowd for a few moments. Once the band finally exited the stage, you could see the spotlight shining on the back of their set was shaped like a heart.
I’m sure you could argue it’s just part of their aesthetic, but the heart spotlight was for the fans. Their bassist, Theo Ellis, frequently looked out into the crowd throughout the set and seemed astonished that there were so many people singing along with every part of their 22-song setlist. There wasn’t much chatting in between songs, but when they did speak, there was a consistent message of gratitude for the fans and local scene for always welcoming them to DC. I hope they don’t wait another four years to come back to the District.
Catch Wolf Alice on tour near you!
Here are some photos of Wolf Alice performing at 9:30 Club on Sept. 13, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Micaela Cerball.
