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What a weekend Wolf Alice have had.
Their live performances of White Horses and Leaning Against the Wall went down a treat on SNL UK on Saturday before they etched their name in the history books by headlining the Royal Albert Hall 24 hours later.
Just weeks ago, they were crowned group of the year at the Brits for a second time following the release of their stunning, Mercury Prize-nominated fourth album The Clearing last August.
And on this showing – at one of the greatest stages of them all – the crest of a wave they’re riding is showing no signs of slowing down.
They made sure they were ready to headline the final night of the Robert Smith-curated, Metro-backed Teenage Cancer Trust shows, which had already dazzled thanks to shows from a host of music titans including Manic Street Preachers and Garbage.
Drummer Joel Amey told Metro earlier this month his only prior visit to the Royal Albert Hall was to see Cream with his mum.
Now he can say his band have played where some of history’s greatest artists have graced.
Bassist Theo Ellis urged the sold out crowd to have the ‘best Sunday night ever’ after opener Heavenward, before tearing into crowd favourite White Horses.
Ellie Roswell rubber-stamped her role as one of the greatest frontwomen on the planet during The Sofa, which saw her stroll through the stalls, take a seat and put her feet up as she dazzled with her powerhouse vocals. That’s how you command the Royal Albert Hall.
We were treated to new songs Hit the Sky and Gospel Oak entwined with a stirring set piece of trad songs after Ellie invited friends onto the stage to perform.
It was an emotional moment for Ellie, who joined them by playing the flute and tin whistle. She appeared to become overwhelmed and was given a loving embrace by Theo and guitarist Joff Oddie.
It was evident throughout how much headlining the Royal Albert Hall meant to them.
This is a band who’s risen through the grassroots scene to headlining festivals and arenas. Their journey remains at their core, with Ellie using their winner’s platform at the Brits to shine a light on the plight facing the UK’s independent scene.
The night’s emotion was captured none more so than Theo, who told the crowd when introducing Bros: ‘It’s terrible how much I wanna cry during this gig. It must be this gaff – it’s very nice.
‘This song is about friendship. Look at each other, love each other, hug each other, celebrate each other. It’s the best thing having a good mate.’
The night was perfectly rounded off with the epic Bloom Baby Bloom followed by an encore of the mind blowing, organ-backed The Last Man on Earth – performed by just Ellie and Ryan Malcolm on keys – and long-time fan-favourite Don’t Delete the Kisses.
Wolf Alice provided the perfect finale to a brilliant week-long celebration for a vital cause.
Are they the best band in Britain? You bet.
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