Blue Weekend well and truly cemented Wolf Alice's position as one of the best bands the UK has produced in the past decade. Their first two LPs were hardly forgettable - the fact Visions Of A Life scooped the Mercury Prize in 2018 tells you that - but number three elevated the London quartet to the heights everyone knew they were capable of reaching.
With lyrics sharper than ever and a typically eclectic mix of songs, from frenetic punk number Play The Greatest Hits to charming ditty Safe From Heartbreak, it's a stellar album that could easily have earned the band their second Mercury Prize, were it not for the brilliance of precocious singer-songwriter Arlo Parks.
Add that to that the fact they were deservedly named Group Of The Year at this year's BRITs and it's no wonder virtually every ticket for Wolf Alice's current UK tour, which included three nights on the trot at London's 5,000-capacity Eventim Apollo last week, was snapped up well in advance. The Bristol date at the O2 Academy was initially scheduled to take place on January 30 but the band, like many others, decided to delay due to fears over the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
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Fans didn't have too long to wait for the revised show, however, as Ellie Rowsell, Joff Oddie, Theo Ellis and Joel Amey took to the venue on Wednesday night (February 23) after a predictably superb warm-up set from Matt Maltese - an act with such appeal he probably could have sold out the O2 on his own.
And Wolf Alice certainly aren't in the mood to hang around, kicking their set off with Smile, a song with so much swagger and a riff so irresistible it deserves to be played in the world's biggest arenas - Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage included. Wolf Alice have graced the legendary stage once before, back in 2016 when they were just breaking through, but who's to say they won't be headlining it in the not-too-distant future? Performances like this are certainly proof that they're ready for it.
Following up the riotous opener with punky You're A Germ from debut album My Love Is Cool ensures the set gets off to an incendiary start, prompting the fans down the front to start moshing early on, before being covered by the O2's overpriced beer as half empty plastic cups are tossed into the air. But while Wolf Alice know how to do rock and roll very well, the likes of the dreamy Delicious Things and Lipstick On The Glass show they're just as capable when they steer away from their bread and butter sound. The latter especially gives lead singer Ellie Rowsell a chance to flaunt her remarkable vocals, which are pitch perfect whether she's in grunge mode or channelling her inner popstar on How Can I Make It Ok?
The flashing red and blue strobe lights on Planet Hunter become so dazzling as the track builds to its crescendo that one or two people in the crowd are forced to turn away for respite; an example of the high production levels that complement the music from start to finish. Once everyone's retinas have recovered, bassist Theo Ellis tells the crowd the band are "so happy to be in Bristol" in his cockney accent, and judging by how much they all seem to be enjoying themselves, it feels genuine.
Wolf Alice's formidable songwriting prowess is highlighted by the fact the setlist is 16 songs in length, pre-encore, and yet not one song feels like filler. Every song, from Abba-esque Safe From Heartbreak to fan favourite Bros, is worthy of its inclusion, and each one is played to perfection. After the set concludes with Giant Peach, which ends with one of the meatiest riffs the band has ever written, we're treated to an encore of The Last Man On Earth and Don't Delete The Kisses - two stunning songs which unsurprisingly attract the biggest crowd singalongs of the night.
The band could, and probably should, be playing arenas by now - but famously down to Earth, perhaps they just enjoy the intimate nature of the smaller venues too much to make the step up. Whichever way you look at it, there's no denying Wolf Alice are arguably the best band in the UK right now. It's going to be very exciting seeing where they go from here.
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