Over on the Wolf Alice Fans Facebook group we spend a part of each day looking back at what happened OTD (On This Day) in the band’s history.
OTD in 2016 the band SHOULD have played its first ever Festival headline spot - Glass Butter Beach in Abersoch, N Wales.
But an Atlantic storm was forecast so the organisers cancelled most of the Saturday bill, including Wolf Alice🤦♂️
13 years ago today on the 15th of August 2013 the band released She from the then upcoming Blush EP.
Which means Visions of a Life is 10 years old next year😳
As you may know the above collection of fan stories will be published next year. It’s still open for entries so if you fancy sharing your story about being a Wolf Alice fan please send me a chat request or e mail your story to wolfalicebook@gmail.com
I’ve been asked loads of questions and I’ll do my best to answer them bit by bit!
A common one is ‘what’s the earliest story you’ve got’. A while back someone on here said that their Dad had been at the very first Wolf Alice gig supporting a band called April in The Shade at their single launch party in the small upstairs room at The Garage in Islington. But as that story hasn’t materialised yet the honour for the oldest resides with this one from a member of the Wolf Alice Fans group on Facebook😁
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THE HOLLOWAY ARTS FESTIVAL
12 JUNE 2011, MAYTON STREET FESTIVAL, LONDON, ENGLAND
It must have been the summer of 2011, a sunny Saturday afternoon, and I was feeling pretty miserable because I’d been slogging away at work that morning, and it was two weeks since I’d had a day off. I decided to go for a walk and clear my head. I live in London on the Holloway Road, the busy A1, but the backstreets can be surprisingly peaceful. As I walked past the back of Morrisons I heard the sound of an amplified female voice, then two voices, an acoustic guitar - I had stumbled on Wolf Alice, Ellie, Joff, and Sadie, Ellie’s friend from ‘Bros’, but this was before ‘Bros’. This was the Mayton Street Summer party, and at some point the lead singer said ‘We are Wolf Alice’. I’m a fan of the writer Angela Carter and recognised the reference immediately. I was duly impressed.
They played for about half an hour, and their audience of all ages listened respectfully. When they finished, a few youths, most likely friends or early fans, cheered. So did I. There was something about their sound, the songs, but especially Ellie’s voice that spoke of something bigger. Too early to say star quality, but that was what it was.
As they packed up their gear, I stepped forward and said how much I had enjoyed their performance, and that they had turned a bad day round for me. I received shy ‘thank yous’ and smiles from Ellie and Sadie and tucked away the memory, not expecting to hear anything more about them.
Fast forward to 2014, I was a genuine fan by then. They’d been championed by BBC Radio One, I’d recently bought Creature Songs, and there they were, Wolf Alice playing at Blissfields Festival in deepest Hampshire. I had family connections with the Festival and regularly DJ’d the disco bus and one of the dance tents, but for me the biggest thrill of that year was seeing the now burgeoning Wolf Alice open proceedings on the main stage, to a tiny crowd whom the band nevertheless thoroughly rocked. Hearing songs like ‘You’re A Germ’, ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’ and ‘Bros’ live was a revelation. I thanked them briefly backstage, as they were rushing off to another gig. I was already a fan, but now I had become fully fledged Wolf Alice addict.
One thing that has impressed me above all else is that they are a genuine band, and greater for being that. As a musician who has been in and out of numerous bands, I know just how hard and unusual it is to maintain that kind of unity. Watching Wolf Alice grow and ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ organically over so many years has been a pure musical delight. And the fans are some of the nicest people you are ever likely to meet.
As I collect stories for my Fan History of Wolf Alice it’s interesting to see how many fans the band has picked up over the years via ‘accidental’ attendees 😁
Today, the 7th of August, is the 11th anniversary of an accidental festival appearance by the band in 2015. The day before they had played The Hollow in Albany NY but were looking at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco 🤔
You won’t find Wolf Alice on the poster because they weren’t booked to play! Yet here we have a vid
Featuring Storms and Blush. The Canadian band Alvvays hit visa problems at the border and couldn’t make it. Wolf Alice were heading down to California for shows later in the week but got a call to say “if you can make it, you’re on”.
They decided to go for it and made it just in time to perform their set 🙌
The following day they would resume their itinerary at the Alt98.7 Summer Camp on Santa Monica Pier.
The 6th of August and it’s one year since White Horses was released as a single prior to the appearance of The Clearing.
Is it anyone’s favourite track of the album?
Thanks so much for the stories I’ve been sent for the above book! It’s coming along really well and with stories and pictures I have almost 1000 entries now.
I’ve been asked a fair few questions about it, and most have been asking what it’s about. Below is the synopsis that will go to retailers when the publishers have edited it and so alighted on a price. The Music Venue Trust is the chosen charity beneficiary.
Still open for entries via chats on here or via e mail to wolfalicebook@gmail.com
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A Penny For Your Truth tells the story of Wolf Alice - one of the UK’s most garlanded rock bands - from its inception as a folk duo playing open mics in London pubs in late 2010 to its development into a 4 piece rock band playing arenas and festival headline slots in 2025/26.
This book documents the journey of a band ‘paying their dues’ in front of tiny crowds, including some with no paying customers, and is told by those on the other side of the barrier and from the heights of arenas like London’s O2. Complemented by contemporary gig reviews and interviews the fans stories capture the excitement of watching a band who received a Grammy nomination in 2016, have, uniquely, been nominated for the Mercury Price for each of their first 4 albums, winning in 2018 with Visions Of A Life, won the prestigious ‘Best Festival Headliner’ award from the NME in 2022 and won the Brit Award for best British Group in both 2022 and 2026 after their 3rd and 4th albums Blue Weekend and The Clearing achieved the UK Number 1 chart position in 2021 and 2025 respectively.
Some of the stories are memories, some are written straight after a performance and they capture the adrenaline-fuelled aftermath of a Wolf Alice show. Will they be the last such band to make this journey from open mics to arenas? Mark Davyd, the CEO and Founder of The Music Venue Trust, has written the Foreward to share his experience of working with Wolf Alice and his strategies to ensure they are not actually the last.
I’ve seen a few posts remarking on the show last night. According to some it was historic! What did everyone there think of it? Good to see it sold out given the band’s relatively low profile in the States (not for want of trying!)
Today, the 28th of July, marks the 9th anniversary of the release of the official video for Yuk Foo - OTD in 2017.
13 years ago on the 28th of July 2013 the band played a side stage at the Secret Garden Party in Cambridgeshire.
Tomorrow it’s Pier 17 in New York.