Wolf Alice: "Electric Picnic normally has a great line-up, so we often stay and watch a bunch of things"

With Wolf Alice shortly to arrive in Ireland for a keenly awaited Electric Picnic performance, there is no doubt the London rockers are on the crest of a wave. Comprised of vocalist Ellie Rowsell, guitarist Joff Oddie, bassist Theo Ellis and drummer Joel Amey, the group have for the past year been touring their fourth album The Clearing, an international hit that reached the Irish top 10 whilst also becoming their second consecutive UK No.1.

Earlier in the summer, Wolf Alice played their biggest headlining show to date, performing to 45,000 fans at a huge homecoming show in London’s Finsbury Park. Again demonstrating the group’s momentum, it felt like a landmark show, with the crowd – basking in glorious sunshine – providing an amazing celebratory atmosphere.

“There was a lot of pressure, with it being not only London, but north London, which is our collective home really,” reflects Rowsell, when Hot Press catches up with the band on tour in the US. “It was our biggest headliner to date, with summer festival vibes, and we were trying to top the two 02 shows we did last Christmas. But something wholesome and magic happened during the gig.

“The sun was shining, and although initially we were annoyed to be playing on a Sunday, it turned out to be one of the most mega Sundays ever. Especially after Keir Starmer let the pubs stay open til 4am and England won the football game. I felt like we played kinda scrappy actually, but in a good way – we were actually just trying to enjoy ourselves and it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“I was really proud of the line-up too, there were amazing women and lots of guitar bands. And there was a really kind and happy vibe backstage.”

Indeed, the band approached the Finsbury Park show as a kind of curated mini-festival, with the excellent bill also featuring Keo, Rachel Chinouriri, Lykke Li, The Last Dinner Party and Bray’s own Florence Road.

“We definitely wanted to make the day feel special, and make it worth the money and coming out all day for,” notes Joff Oddie. “Keo and Florence Road are two break-out bands at the moment, and then we had more established acts like Rachel Chinouriri and Lykke Li. And playing before The Last Dinner Party is always dangerous. They’re so freaking good, one of the best live acts going – they definitely made us step up.”

As a Nirvana obsessive, for me one of the highlights of Wolf Alice’s set came after a blistering rendition of the hit ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’, when the band launched into an uproarious version of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. Was it a cover they’d been thinking about for a while, or did it feel right for the moment?

“I think at festivals and outdoor shows, where fun is the main point, it’s good to try and do a cover,” Rowsell considers. “There’s nothing more exhilarating than singing along to a song, even if you don’t love that song anymore. If you know the words, it releases a special kind of endorphin to scream along, so we wanted something very well known.

“I think it was a kind of homage to when everyone used to call us a grunge band, so we did a little grungy encore for a bit of a nostalgia kick.”

Wolf Alice at 3Arena on December 10th, 2025. Copyright Peter O'Hanlon/ hotpress.com

As they look towards the end of the year, the high points just keep on coming for Wolf Alice. In addition to their Electric Picnic slot, the band will also be returning Stateside to play a series of support dates with the pop star of the moment, Olivia Rodrigo. How are they feeling about those gigs?

“I can’t wait,” Rowsell enthuses. “Doing a support slot is really exciting, cos you always learn something new and it shakes things up a bit. It’s often a bit of a challenge, as you have to win over the crowd. Olivia is a brilliant star and I can’t wait to see what I take away from watching her show, and seeing how her tour operates.

“We have a lot of crossover influences and tastes judging by what I’ve read and who she’s got playing with her, so I’m flattered to be part of it.”

As it happens, I have my own piece of intriguing live history with Wolf Alice. Just over five years ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited over to Suffolk to see the Latitude Festival, which was the first music event of its size to take place in the UK after almost 18 months of the pandemic.

I arrived on the Friday of the festival, on which night Wolf Alice turned in a brilliant headling performance. What do they remember of that time?

“It was batshit crazy, as we played a small warm-up gig before, but it was essentially the first gig back after years of being away and Covid,” Oddie recalls. “It was a tester event for re-opening public spaces and we headlined the festival – our first big headline slot.

“It was terrifying and amazing, and we felt so grateful we were able to be a part of it. The whole weekend felt so special, now I think about it. I remember watching the Chemical Brothers thinking it was one of the best things I’d ever seen.”

In my review of the show, I described Rowsell’s performance style as echoing Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon. Have they been influences on the singer?

“I love that Debbie Harry and Kim Gordon’s musical careers kind of got going when they were in their thirties,” she replies. “That’s inspiring to me, because when you’re younger, it’s kind of projected that you have to get everything done in your twenties. They were both obviously very cool and I loved reading their memoirs.”

As well as punk attitude, Rowsell also taps into a certain theatrical flair in her performances, which was gloriously on show in the video for the Clearing track ‘Just Two Girls’. A huge hit that’s racked up over two million YouTube views, the clip also features acclaimed actress Lucy Boynton, who joins Rowsell in some stunningly choreographed dance sequences.

Given the technical demands, was it a tricky video to make?

“It was very tricky, because we had so little time and quite a lot to do with a lot of moving parts,” the singer acknowledges. “But it was fun, because the team was great. Colin, the director, has great taste, so I wasn’t worried really. We had spoken a lot about the vibe we were going for, and we had a lot of the same dancers as the ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ video, who are just fantastic.

“And, of course, Ryan Herrington and Darcy Wallace choreographing, who I just love. The hardest part was wearing heels for so long. I don’t really get how anyone does that or why.”

The lyrics of ‘Just Two Girls’ are also fantastic, with Rowsell singing, “I was looking at her extensions /  She was so pretty it was fucking offensive”. Does the frontwoman have any particularly favourite lines on The Clearing? And does she enjoy lyric writing generally?

“Lyric writing is a challenge, because often when making music, you want to follow a feeling and a vibe,” she considers. “Lyric writing takes thought and drafting, and can upset the flow in a way. But I think the songs I’m proud of lyrically are the ones that are easier to play.

“Especially as time goes on, so I do enjoy it, cos it’s very rewarding. I like the line, ‘Watch me build castles in the hourglass sand’ from ‘Play It Out’. And I like, ‘I host what I know is a most wholesome home / But it’s not forgotten, the girl in me’ from ‘Midnight Song’.”

It could be said that Electric Picnic marks a kind of homecoming for Wolf Alice, given that both Rowsell and Theo Ellis have Irish family links. Did they visit growing up? And was that background an influence on kicking off the Clearing campaign with a short Irish tour last year?

“Yeah!” responds an excited Ellie. “My grandparents were from Dublin, but I grew up playing Irish trad, which was quite influential in my life. I visited a couple of times, but only when I was very young. I went back for the Fleadh once, which was in Clonmel. The next time I would have gone would have been with Wolf Alice.

“That Irish tour was fun, and I think a number of things drew us to do that. But it was a perfect start to the campaign, and I’m glad we could go to those independent venues in parts of the country you don’t often get to go to.”

“I think the decision to start the tour in Ireland was so we could go to places we haven’t been to, and wouldn’t necessarily go on a big touring run,” adds Ellis. “Those shows in Kilkenny, Cork and Limerick turned out to be really special. I remember being equally as nervous for them as I was before the 3Arena. We hadn’t played live in so long that it felt like the first time again.”

“In terms of my own background, my grandparents’ family are from Waterford. They’re all Kavanaghs.”

Earlier, Ellie mentioned doing the Finsbury Park show on the same day as one of England’s World Cup games. Also on the football front, Wolf Alice actually contributed to a song backing England’s women’s team, ‘Call Me Lioness’. Would the band also shout for Ireland in football as well, or are they more focused on England?

“To be honest we’re most likely to be watching England at international games,” says Theo. “Arsenal is my true love and we’ve just signed Victor Ozhianvuna from Shamrock Rovers, which is exciting – he’s supposed to be amazing. It’s been ages since we’ve had an Irish player at the club.”

As evidenced not just on The Clearing, but on their previous albums My Love Is Cool, Visions Of A Life and Blue Weekend, Wolf Alice’s music has an atmospheric, cinematic quality which definitely lends itself to cinema and TV. Have they had any notable soundtrack inclusions?

“Yeah, we’ve had a few things,” says Joel Amey. “A big one that stands out is ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’ being used in Heartstopper. I think that definitely widened the scope of the people who were aware of the song and, by extension, aware of the band, which was really amazing. It’s also an amazing TV show that seems to have been very important to a lot of people, so it’s really cool we were involved in that.

“Another big one was ‘Silk’ being used in Trainspotting 2, as well as in the trailer. We’ve said this a bunch of times before, but we weren’t aware the trailer was going to use the song, because the sync company and management approved it overnight. I think it was on American time, when usually we would have been across that.

“I remember waking up in the apartment I was renting at the time,” he adds, “watching the trailer and thinking, ‘Wait, what the fuck? I know that tune.’ That was really cool, and I think it’s what’s made the song a bit of a fan favourite.”

Joel further considers the subject.

“There have been loads, though,” he continues. “I personally pay a lot of attention to the way music is used in films, and how it’s synced to moving image and to trailers. We actually used to test the songs and demos we were making for Blue Weekend by putting them against film trailers. It’s a good way of testing the mood, scope and cinematic quality of a song.

“We’ve done that quite a lot, actually, so it’s definitely something that interests us. If it’s the right project and it comes to us, we’ll always consider it.”

Wolf Alice at Set Theatre, Kilkenny on May 19th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Do you get a chance to keep up with movies or TV on tour? Have you seen The Odyssey?

“In terms of keeping up with films on the road, I’m probably the worst,” admits Joel. “I haven’t seen The Odyssey, no. I don’t want any spoilers because I’m probably going to watch it at some point in my life. For me, it’s all about music when I’m on the road. I listen to it constantly when I’m walking around, and experiencing a city with music is really fun.

“Out of music, fashion and film, music is definitely my main thing, with fashion probably coming second. My addiction to shopping has continued from album to album. It’s probably getting more and more out of control.”

Showing the incalculable value of the right support slot, I first became a fan of Wolf Alice through their shows with some of my favourite artists, including Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age and Liam Gallagher. What was it like playing those gigs?

“Well, Foos was the first time we played a stadium so that was cool,” says Rowsell. “Watching Liam after we played was a very fun, core British summer-time memory, with friends and pints and sunburn. Touring with QOTSA was probably one of the best band experiences we’ve ever had. They are one of the bands that tie us together in terms of taste. We watched every single show on that tour – it was very inspiring and very fun.”

Amey, meanwhile, also notes how exciting it can be playing with the right act.

“I’ve always loved supporting other artists,” he says, “When you’re starting out, you watch other bands and think, ‘Damn, so that’s how you do that.’ Back in the day, we toured with a band called Peace. They were the first shows we played outside the comforts of London, and I remember thinking they were such a proper band.

“Going on tour with The 1975 was amazing, because their star was just starting to ascend. It was incredible to be on the periphery of watching an alternative band become a world-dominating prospect. We toured the States together, and it was really great to watch.”

As with Ellie, for Joel, the QOTSA dates were in a league of their own.

“Queens Of The Stone Age was definitely the biggest pinch-me moment,” he  marvels. “They’re one of the reasons I wanted to be in a band in the first place. I remember arriving in Austin and thinking, I wonder if we’ll even meet them. They seemed like such an untouchable entity that I just assumed we wouldn’t.

“I think we were playing ‘You’re A Germ’, and I was smashing away on the drums. I looked to my left and they were all standing there in different sunglasses, just watching and nodding along. I thought, I don’t know how to play the drums at all. What am I doing? It was probably the most nerve-wracking moment of my life.

“It was a really great tour. There was a proper rock and roll atmosphere. Lots of Casamigos and tequila flowing. Not hedonistic in a destructive way, just exciting. To be on tour with a band that quite literally inspired me to start playing music was really special.”

Showing Wolf Alice’s remarkable versatility, another highlight came with their tour with a global superstar.

“Harry Styles also blew me away,” says Joel. “Before the tour, I wondered if it was going to be tough, but he really is a one-in-a-million kind of person and pop star. His fans were so open-minded as well. In some ways, we’re very different, but they were completely up for what we were doing.

“I remember watching Joff shredding away on ‘Formidable Cool’, making all these wild noises with his guitar, and the crowd just wanted more. Going around Europe playing to those audiences was a real joy. I also think those arena shows taught us a lot. Playing venues that size with someone like Harry Styles gives you the chance to push yourself as a musician and a performer.

“You learn things that stay with you, so that if the time comes to headline your own festivals one day, you’ve already picked up a few tricks.”

Getting back to their own output, have Wolf Alice had a chance to think about new music yet, or are their just focusing on touring until the end of the year?

“I’m very open to inspiration,” says Rowsell. “At the moment I’m loving reading books, and watching films and listening to albums, which normally means something will strike soon. If I had more time off, I’d be writing, but we’ve still got a lot of places to go and shows to play this year. I’m excited though, for sure.”

Finally, with the band gearing up for Electric Picnic, I bring up their 2022 visit to Stradbally, where in addition to a superb set they also stopped off at the renowned Hot Press Chat Room. What do they recall of the excursion?

“Electric Picnic normally has a great line-up, so we often stay and watch a bunch of things,” says Rowsell. “In terms of specific memories, we’ve played so many festivals now, I can’t remember unless I see a picture of my outfit, ha! I’m sure it was great – I’ve yet to have a bad show in Ireland.”

• Wolf Alice play Electric Picnic's Electric Arena at 9.14pm on Friday, August 28.