Wolf Alice, O2 Forum Kentish Town, review: Dark, exciting, and utterly contagious

No pretence and no façade - this is one of the best live bands around

Wolf Alice at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London (Jono White )

There’s something quite beautiful about Wolf Alice. On stage, the North London four-piece are effortlessly cool and confident, and who can blame them? They have a critically acclaimed album, legions of adoring fans and a huge future ahead of them.

After the success of 2015’s My Love Is Cool, Wolf Alice are building themselves an empire. Despite being a man down, Genghar’s John Victor stepping in for injured bassist Theo Ellis, their infectious grunge rocked a sold out Kentish Town Forum, the first of a four night residency.

From the beginning of opener ‘Your Loves Whore’ to the end of a spectacular rendition of ‘Giant Peach’, which featured both confetti and frontwoman Ellie Rowsell inviting three members of the audience to join her onstage for her and Ellis’ trademark jig, one thing was clear. Every song was played with a smile; Wolf Alice were kicking off the start of a four-day party they had earned, and they wanted you to party with them.