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The music industry is dominated by the desire for independence, reflected in the ever-growing population of solo artists. It is extremely refreshing to see a band in its truest form, built on shared taste and collaboration. There is an undeniable chemistry between the members of Wolf Alice, who have now been together for over a decade. Their performance was well polished, but had space for improvisation and for the bandmates to simply be friends playing their music. If there’s one thing Wolf Alice can be commended for, it is the power and command they hold over a room. There was a comfortable intimacy between the crowd and the stage at Théâtre Beanfield, with the band welcoming a fan onto the stage to sing “Safe From Heartbreak.” This was very touching, given that it’s not a common occurrence. The fan just asked if she could and the band said, “yeah why not.” The set was a beautiful mix of songs from their most recent album, The Clearing, and old classics, as well as varying levels of energy from rock anthems like “Play The Greatest Hits” and “Formidable Cool” during which frontwoman Ellie Rowsell shouts into a megaphone and crawls around the stage whipping her hair, to slower numbers like “Play It Out.”
The stage was adorned with a glittery curtain and disco ball, and gave a timeless glam rock vibe, which matches well with the sound of their latest album. Ellie was decked out in a retro leotard with knee high boots and stood in a power stance for the majority of the set. She is a total powerhouse and really maintains her position as a woman of rock. Bass player Theo Ellis also did his fair part in riling the crowd up, pumping his arms at the front of the stage, he has total frontman energy, too. PAN M 360 met with the Wolf Alice band members before the show to discuss the influences and creative process behind the album The Clearing.
PAN M 360: The album has a very timeless, clean sound. Paired with the overall aesthetic, it’s as if it could have come straight out of the ’70s. Would you say it was inspired by this time period specifically?
Theo Ellis: I think we had some inspiration from the ’70s, yes, and certainly some key albums that came out in that decade. We loved George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. We’ve said a few times that we love parts of Fleetwood Mac’s catalogue. We love the sonics and how there’s not too much going on; the song just sort of shines through. We also love Alex G, we love Haim. Lots of modern stuff too.
PAN M 360: Compared to your past albums, it is far more sonically sparse, fewer elements going on. Was that something you were focusing on?
Theo Ellis: Yeah, it’s something we wanted to try. I think a lot of times, making things feel exciting and vital in the studio is by doing something new. And yeah, I think there is a certain way of recording that we feel comfortable with and by trying to see how good we can make the song, with using less, was an exciting constraint for us. And I think that principle leads you to the ’70s because they do lean more on the rudimentary part doing the work.
PAN M 360: How has your musical taste changed since Blue Weekend?
Theo Ellis: I was appreciating a lot of organic instrumentation straight after Blue Weekend. I started listening to John Prine and Townes Van Zandt a lot.
PAN M 360: When you’re writing, are you thinking more about how a song is going to sit in the record or about how it’s going to translate to the live performance?
Ellie Rowsell: I think we used to just think about the record, and I think this time, I thought about the live version a lot more. We really wanted to not feature too many things that we wouldn’t be able to replicate live.
PAN M 360: Are there some non-musical influences that helped with the world-building for the album? Movies, cities, smells, fabrics, etc.
Theo Ellis: I suppose “All That Jazz” by Bob Fosse keeps coming up in relation to the “Bloom Baby Bloom” music video. It’s a mixture of very natural elements, like going for a walk in the woods, but also putting on sparkles.
Joel Amey: I’ve just been wearing blue denim jeans for the last eight months. For the last album, I felt like I was constantly ironing suits. I decided that this was our denim album, our denim phase.
Photos by Elizabeth Dovolis
