words by Emma Hintz, graphic by Joshua Reynes
Blue Weekend was my favorite release of 2021, so of course, I had to book a $55 flight to DC to go see Wolf Alice for the first time.
I hadn’t been this excited to go to a show in a very long time. I was finally going to see one of my favorite bands in a new city with some of my best friends. It ended up being everything I imagined it would be and more.
Blue Weekend is an album that means the entire world to me as it came out at a time when I really, really needed it. I remember listening to “How can I make it Ok?” for the first time and sobbing on my nighttime drive, the lyrics hitting especially hard that June.
Getting to see the songs that got me through the summer of 2021 live for the first time was an experience like no other. As expected, I sobbed almost the entire show. Tears began streaming down my face while I opened up the pit to “Giant Peach."
The entire band is incredible; lead singer Ellie Roswell has a sort of confidence to her that radiates, especially during “Feeling Myself”, the 8th track on Blue Weekend.
photos by Emma Hintz
She sounds incredible live, and yet she makes it look like she isn’t even trying. The shows were at Union Stage, a venue directly on the water in Washington DC with a mere 450 person capacity. Both nights were, of course, sold out.
This was a small venue for Wolf Alice; the stage had no barricade and only went up to just above my knees. The intimate space made the shows that much more meaningful. “Safe from Heartbreak” hit much harder in a tiny room with everyone singing along.
These shows were so important to me and so many other people in the crowd. While I was leaving the venue the first night, I ran into a little girl who couldn’t have been older than 9 years old. She was with her dad, and I asked her if it was her first show. She said yes, and that she had an awesome time. Both she and her dad looked so happy.
It reminded me of the first concerts I attended with my dad, the joy on his face taking me to see my favorite bands when I was 14, bands that ended up becoming his favorite bands after seeing them live with me.
If Wolf Alice was my first concert, I think I would be way cooler than I am now--we should all be jealous of this little girl. Seeing Wolf Alice live brought me back, it felt like I was at my first General Admission show again.
Before the set I got the butterflies I used to get before every show, no matter who the artist was. If you haven’t seen Wolf Alice live, I highly suggest you do at some point in your life, it is a true necessity for casual fan or long-time listener alike.
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