Wolf Alice let loose at the Royal Albert Hall

There’s a warm, celebratory atmosphere to Wolf Alice’s sold-out show at the Royal Albert Hall. Part of a series curated by the Cure’s Robert Smith in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust, the gig is a playful detour from the band’s huge tour of their fourth album, The Clearing, as well as something of a victory lap after winning group of the year at the Brit awards in February.

After an introduction by Jack Saunders, host of BBC Radio 1’s New Music Show, and a number of young people supported by the Teenage Cancer Trust, the band – Ellie Rowsell, Joff Oddie, Joel Amey and Theo Ellis, joined live by the exceptional keys player Ryan Malcolm – barrel on to the stage, to raucous applause. The previous evening they were the musical act on the second episode of Saturday Night Live UK; it was as if they were speedrunning British milestones in real time last weekend.

What follows is nearly two hours of hits, deep cuts and unreleased tracks taken from across their catalogue, as well as an interlude featuring session musicians; the group make the most of the grand venue, with Rowsell occasionally venturing into the stalls and her bandmates paying frequent attention to the people clustered right at the top of the Italianate hall. “I wanna have the best night ever,” Rowsell says early on. “And I know you do as well.”

Opening with the 2017 song Heavenward – the first full-band performance of the track in more than five years – Wolf Alice whip through an unpredictable setlist designed for maximum drama. At one point, Rowsell climbs on to a plinth in the middle of the stage: she becomes a silhouette against a spotlight in the shape of a star – appropriate, given that The Clearing casts her as a 70s-style rock siren.

That fourth album provides many of the night’s highlights, including Just Two Girls, a plush lounge track that feels totally right in this ornate, extravagant space. During Bloom Baby Bloom, the band are locked in and muscular, playing off each other with a confidence that can only be the result of their decade  and a half performing together.

Just before Bros, one of their breakout tracks, the bass player Ellis pays tribute to his bandmates. “This song is about friendship,” he says, to roaring approval. “It’s the best thing having a good mate!” At his encouragement, many people in the hall embrace; the moment is sweet enough to give you toothache.

Early hits such as this pull the most enthusiastic response from the crowd, although the three middle-aged women sitting in front of me make their appreciation for The Clearing known by standing up and singing.

Halfway through the show, Rowsell introduces a new group of accompanists: James Patrick Gavin, Conor MacMahon, Clare J Walton, and her childhood music teacher Kathy Walton. For about 20 minutes, Wolf Alice and their temporary bandmates conjure the atmosphere of a folk music session in the middle of the hall, interweaving unreleased songs with traditional tunes such as the Kesh Jig and Famous Ballymote.

The session players – as well as Malcolm, the evening’s sneaky MVP – are brilliant and create the most invigorating moment of the night, shot through with deep emotion: Rowsell chokes up during her performance of a new song, Gospel Oak, her clarion voice wavering. She is comforted by her bandmates, adding to the sense of communion.

Her voice, an elastic and powerful instrument, is at its strongest performing songs from the band’s 2021 record Blue Weekend. She sounds spectacular accompanied by the venue’s organ during The Last Man on Earth, a spare and grandiose surprise during the encore.

The gig ends with Don’t Delete the Kisses, the group’s most indelible hit to date from their 2017 album Visions of a Life. It’s one of the rare times you can barely hear Rowsell; the crowd singing along are just too loud.

Photograph by John Stead