As part of their victory lap Blue Weekend tour (which kicked off in the US in fall 2021), Wolf Alice made their way back to Indianapolis’ Deluxe room at Old National Centre for the first time since 2016. Accompanying the British alt-rockers was Charlie Hickey, an artist so new that his tour predates the release of his debut album, Nervous at Night.
Ooh I Think We Gotta Talk About Charlie
Kicking things off, with some insanely loud, crashing feedback (in fact, the loudest and edgiest part of his entire set), was Charlie and his crew. He is definitely the dreamy, quiet type and was so focused on the music that he actually forgot to introduce himself to the crowd until his set was almost over. Accompanying him were Brooklyn-based session musicians, Noah Rauchwerk on drums, and Ned Steves on bass.
Don’t get me wrong…this kid definitely has talent. I particularly enjoyed “Count the Stairs”, which, despite its soft and dreamy sound, appears to be about the gritty reality of a child growing up in the midst of their parent’s untreated mental illness. After hearing his full set, I was left a little confused because only his final song (the titular “Nervous at Night”) came anywhere close to the energy or general demeanor of Wolf Alice. To be honest, it was a bit like the scene in the season 2 finale of Euphoria, in which Dominic Fike’s Elliot plays an entire 3 and a half minute song for Rue (Zendaya). Of course it’s beautiful and sad and is bursting with feeling, but as a viewer, you’re left chomping at the bit for the part that comes next.
Shake Your Hair, Have Some Fun
I’m gonna be honest here. I had no idea who Wolf Alice was until about 6 weeks ago, when I was scouring local concert venues for shows. While perusing Old National Centre’s website, Wolf Alice’s promo photo caught my eye and I took some time to look them up on Apple Music. From there, I was hooked.
During the time between sets, I did some research as to where the band got its name. British author Angela Carter’s 1979 anthology The Bloody Chamber reimagined many classic folk tales, including several variations on “Little Red Riding Hood”. One such reconceptualization was “Wolf-Alice”, in which a feral child raised by wolves suddenly finds herself in the care of nuns, who attempt to civilize her but ultimately relinquish her to the household of an aging, decrepit werewolf with an insatiable taste for human flesh. Y’know, just some light, casual reading.
After the stage was reset and soundcheck was complete, Wolf Alice filed quietly onto the stage and the sleepy audience of around 300 woke up with a start and cheered violently as the band hit their first chords of “Smile”, the ‘nasty woman’ power anthem off of their newest album, Blue Weekend. Theo Ellis, the band’s ultra-charismatic bassist, bopped around and encouraged the audience to sing along immediately. It took a bit of time during that first song for the audio engineers to get the volumes dialed in, initially it was hard to hear frontwoman Ellie Rowsell’s vocals, but this did get rectified quickly.
The band has several distinct sounds and truly, they excel at all of them. “Formidable Cool” and “Planet Hunter” have more of a groovy and heavy edge, and the guitarist, Joe Keefe (filling in for Joff Oddie) had several solos in which he absolutely shredded. “How Can I Make it OK” and “No Hard Feelings” are softer and more delicate to be sure, but are an amazing showcase of Rowsell’s vocal range, which spanned from breathy sad-girl pop to snarling grunge throughout the night. “Don’t Delete the Kisses” is a true millennial romance story, shrouded in dreamy, pink synth-pop.
One of my favorite songs of the evening was “Play the Greatest Hits”, which was pure Blink-182 franticness, but still very tight and melodic. This moved straight into “Silk”, a power ballad featured in Trainspotting 2.
The band members (especially Ellis) were all super interactive with audience members, which is definitely easier to manage in a more intimate space like the Deluxe. I was a bit judgmental of guitarist Joe Keefe at first for not doing more to engage with his bandmates on stage, but found out later in the set that he was filling in last-minute for Joff Oddie (Again, not knowing much about the band at all going into this show); he met up with the band in Atlanta and learned the entire set in just 48 (!!) hours.
The end of the night came far too quickly, even with the two encore songs they played. Walking up the stairs and out the doors of Old National was bittersweet, but knowing that this was just the first of many concerts in the future helped to placate my feelings.
The Good
The Deluxe has gotten a face-lift in the past few years, and the former impossible-to-see-around columns have gotten more sleek and low-profile.
Wolf Alice is high energy and oozes charisma; even during the slower or quieter songs, they still keep you completely engaged.
I really don’t have any gripes with the band themselves or their performance. This was my first concert in 3 years and I had no idea how much I truly missed live music.
The Not-as-Good
Charlie was consistently upstaged by his drummer during the opening set. Because he is still so new, I’ll chalk it up to nerves and hope that the more performance he gets under his belt, the more he will come into his own and become the focal point of his performances.
Although the crowd was very engaged, some members of the audience were just very loud and obnoxious with their yelling between songs.
The Setlist:
- Smile
- You’re a Germ
- Formidable Cool
- Delicious Things
- Lipstick on the Glass
- Planet Hunter
- Bros
- Safe From Heartbreak (If You Never Fall in Love
- How Can I Make It Okay?
- Play the Greatest Hits
- Silk
- Visions of a Life
- Moaning Lisa Smile
- No hard Feelings
- Giant Peach
- The Last Man on Earth (Encore)
- Don’t Delete the Kisses (Encore)
The Lineup:
Wolf Alice – Ellie Rowsell, Joel Amey, Theo Ellis, Ryan Malcolm (touring), Joe Keefe (filling in for Joff Oddie)
Charlie Hickey – Charlie Hickey, Noah Rauchwerk, Ned Steves