by Michaela Roper
Hawley Arms, London. It’s 2010, the turning point for the unfathomable rise of skinny jeans and the inception of the inescapable “indie sleaze” era that took the intersection between fashion and music by storm. This grungy spot in Camden is stamped on the passports of four up-and-coming rockers clad in floral shirts and faux fur jackets; the spiritual home of the band that would soon be touted as the next best outfit to grace the glimmering steps of Glastonbury Festival’s Pyramid Stage. Otherwise known as, Wolf Alice.
The four-piece spent their formative years in this very spot, soaking up every last drop of culture that oozed from the cracks of the old pub walls. Wolf Alice’s quest for something bigger and boisterous, and heavier soundscapes that echoed their lived-in experiences as teenagers in the city, began before the turn of the decade. Their evolution is something to be admired, both instrumentally and stylistically. The band became synonymous with the indie rock explosion of the early 2010s and since then, their albums have looked back in retrospect, but never regret.
The release of My Love Is Cool almost a decade ago to the day marked the beginning of a tentative step into the spotlight for the twenty-somethings, who at the time, arguably could have been mistaken for some spare cast members from an episode of Skins. Wolf Alice’s style at the time fell nothing short of contemporary, as they boasted outfits pulled straight from the rails in a dimly-lit Topshop store, polished off with a Beyond Retro-esque denim vest, and four pairs of almost identical Doc Martens on their feet. Frontwoman Ellie Rowsell captured the formidable coolness of wrapping a statement coat over an elegant slip dress; an effortless ode to the Kate Moss inspired sleaze revolution. Her on-stage uniform also reflected the tentativeness of the band’s debut album. Just as a simple slip offered a creative canvas for her to embellish with eccentric vocals, the more lucrative, gentle tracks on the record filled the blank spaces; allowing for the explosive verses in tunes like Fluffy and Giant Peach to act as the extravagantly fringed suede jacket thrown over the top. As the band’s first jittery exploration of 90s grunge and the subsequent rockstar lifestyle that accompanied the project, My Love Is Cool truly cemented the Wolf Alice name far beyond the dusty bricks of the Hawley Arms.
Then came the exuberant jumble of fuzzy guitars, experimental twists on the arbiters of alternative rock, and the teenage girls’ go-to track for reminiscing on past loves and losses on the tube. The critically acclaimed record Visions of a Life bagged the band a Mercury Prize back in 2017, which funnily enough, once sat behind the bar of the very same local that shaped them. Wolf Alice made room for songs like Don’t Delete The Kisses to fly the nest and weedle their way into the hearts of a young indie rock generation that quickly took inspiration from the band’s evolving style. Think a slightly too skinny, dark jean, a chunky leather belt, and the youthful innocence of a vintage cami or ragged white vest. The new era of Wolf Alice appeared as raw and truthful, more confident in sound but still humble in style. They let the music speak, and their outfits provide the rhythm in the background. Over on bass, Theo Ellis didn’t shy away from a washed out raglan band tee, and drummer Joel Amey had an admirable affinity to oversized work shirts for most of the album’s four-year run. This uniform simultaneously felt oh-so-familiar but almost one-of-a-kind, an easily replicable style choice that undoubtedly had a chokehold on wannabe rock stars for the rest of the decade – channelled through dramatic block eyeliner, velvet chokers and again, a worn-in leather boot.
Wolf Alice’s extensive hiatus between albums undoubtedly made room for a grander instrumental evolution ahead of their most recent release, Blue Weekend. The record contorted the synth-laden rhythms and gloomy ethereal vocal work of previous projects to offer a pristine and emotive scrapbook that smoothly painted a sonic picture of dealing with the anxieties of the modern age, backed by dreamy piano stints and glitzy shoegaze production values. Alongside this artful foray of noise came a brand new band. With a bleach blonde Ellie Rowsell at the helm, sporting elegant two-pieces and glimmering makeup looks, Wolf Alice embraced the timelessness of tailoring, teetering on the edge of grungy bohemian whilst holding onto an air of playfulness you’d totally expect from an in-your-face rock quartet. Under the watchful eye of a new decade, the band’s musical direction transcended expectations and propelled fans into a new realm of elevated style and hard-hitting lyricism.
Another four years of radio silence only encouraged another experimental reinvention, this time in the form of an overload of leather two-pieces and guitarists in Canadian Tuxedos. In May, the band released Boom Baby Bloom as the leading single of new album The Clearing; leaning into the full-circle return to iconic 1970s style whilst maintaining the recognisable statement elements that seem to have followed them from the Hawley Arms, and right back through the door again. Wolf Alice have embraced a new lease of life, a fresh sense of self, and are now exuding maturity and charisma within a bone-rattling track that goes hell for leather both instrumentally, and visually. From a pair of knee-high leather boots to a glittering cut-out leotard, and cherry red hot pants, everyone’s favourite frontwoman seems to be channelling her confidence in the form of an Amyl And The Sniffers-esque get up. Musically, the band have retained their poetic vignettes, but departed from their formative years by adding prog-rock inspired elements into the mix, alongside chamber pop funk and a touch of psychedelia to top it all off. Their newly colourful style appears to reflect just this. It’s defiant, loud, covered in war paint, and raring to go.
Wolf Alice have continued to stand out in the crowd of their former labelmates at Dirty Hit, and with the fresh backing of Columbia Records behind them, this stylistic and musical evolution is destined to capture pages in the history books as they navigate their fifth album run of their career. The band’s progression over their decades-long prowess of the alternative scene is not something to be feared, but admired. Thinking outside the box does not exist for them, as the box never existed in the first place, and in an era of pop girlhood clashing with a slowing revival of indie sleaze and leopard print underwear, it’s safe to say Wolf Alice have their sights set on a creative revival of their very own. The settled dust of the Hawley Arms still runs through the band’s blood, egging them on with every step they take in their new, avant-garde direction.
Written by Michaela Roper
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