Wolf Alice dominated the stage at their Osheaga set. Dripping in sweat, the four-piece English rock band sang a perfect mix of old and new songs. Ellie Rowsell is an angelic rebel. She sings with such precision and a vibrato that could cut glass, all the while with a pissed-off scowl on her face, a true force to be reckoned with. The band was unrelenting for their whole set, giving the crowd everything they wanted: heavy, distorted bass and familiar, catchy guitar riffs.
Ellie switched from her microphone to a megaphone to sing “Yuk Foo,” a two-minute song that has no low points, screaming “I don’t give a shit” right from her gut. They played “Play the Greatest Hits” with Rowsell shouting “It isn’t loud enough” down on her knees. She absolutely owned the space, using every inch of it as her stomping ground.
The crowd was eating every song up. They did what they could with a short set time, which was to keep the energy high from start to finish. I saw friends embracing each other during “Bros” and lovers kissing during “Don’t Delete the Kisses.” Each song pulled a new emotion out of the audience. They were super tight and absolutely did not disappoint.
