Monday, September 15, 2025
On Friday and Saturday night, British rock band Wolf Alice made their triumphant return to Washington D.C. while touring for their latest album, ‘The Clearing.’ Following the release of ‘Blue Weekend’ back in 2021, Wolf Alice performed at Union Stage, an intimate D.C. venue with a 450-person capacity. This time around, they performed two sold-out shows at the 9:30 Club—a space nearly three times the size.
Image courtesy of Jordan Grobe (@JGro.be).
Composed of lead singer Ellie Rowsell, guitarist Joff Oddie, bassist Theo Ellis, and drummer Joel Amey, the band celebrates their 15th anniversary this year. Occasionally wistful and often uproarious, Wolf Alice is known for their diverse sonic portfolio, studded with grungy, alternative anthems à la The Strokes and the shoegaze stylings of the Cocteau Twins.
As its title may suggest, ‘The Clearing’ finds Wolf Alice out of the woods, representing a rejuvenated step forward for the group. Save for the rowdy “Smile” and “Play the Greatest Hits,” ‘Blue Weekend’ was a simmering, somber record that, much to our delight, wore its melancholy on its sleeve. If this previous installment was an angsty, contemplative cobalt, ‘The Clearing’ is a sparkling olive green: a love letter to self-growth and a hard-won peace of mind.
No track better encapsulates this bliss than “The Sofa.” On this plush closing track, our narrator finds a soft place to land without sacrificing her tenacity, teaching us that serenity need not entail becoming a shrinking violet. “Hope I can accept the wild thing in me,” Rowsell sings on the song’s first and final lines, “Hope nobody comes to tame her, and she can be free.”
Wildness is a common theme across Wolf Alice’s discography, and, fittingly, the band is an absolute force of nature on stage, thanks in large part to their fearless frontwoman. From her snarky, howling vocals to her ethereal stage presence, Ellie Rowsell doesn’t just sing about “that formidable cool”—she embodies it.
The setlist struck a satisfying balance between new releases and familiar favorites. In the latter category, “Delicious Things” and “Bros”—tender-hearted tracks which explore the narrator’s coming of age—were memorable moments, as were the riotous “Yuk Foo” and “Play the Greatest Hits”—back-to-back numbers which commenced with Rowsell holding a megaphone high in the air as an ear-piercing siren blared.
From ‘The Clearing,’ “Bloom Baby Bloom,” “Just Two Girls,” and “White Horses,” were particular standouts. On lead single “Bloom Baby Bloom,” Rowsell masterfully oscillates between the grittier verses and floatier chorus in a swift embrace of the song’s thesis: “every flower needs to neighbor with the dirt.” Immediately after comes “Just Two Girls”—a spiritual successor to “Bros” which depicts an elastic evening spent sipping palomas at the bar with your bestie, a commonplace euphoria not unlike that shared by “two kids at the park.” A few songs later, “White Horses” shakes things up as electric guitars are swapped for acoustics and drummer Joel Amey takes the mic. It’s an appropriate change of pace considering the lyrics feature a crisis of identity. While the narrator initially wrestles with his unknown origins, he ultimately realizes all he needs is “an answer to the question in the taxi”: where he is going. “I do not need no rooting,” Amey sings, “I carry home with me.”
Image courtesy of Jordan Grobe (@JGro.be).
After concluding their set with “The Sofa,” Wolf Alice returned for the encore with fan favorite “Moaning Lisa Smile” and their most streamed song to date, “Don’t Delete The Kisses.” A twinkling pop anthem about overcoming fears of romantic rejection from lovers and the universe alike, “Don’t Delete The Kisses” ended the show in a shower of bubbles, a physical manifestation of the crowd’s sky-high spirits.
Having had the chance to watch Wolf Alice rock out at Union Stage four years ago, it was an absolute treat to see them take the 9:30 Club by storm this past weekend. Their showmanship never fails to astound me, and you can bet that when they return to D.C. from across the pond, I’ll be there in the front row, ready to run with the wolves all over again.