Wolf Alice @ the Ogden

Wolf Alice took over the Ogden Theater in Denver last weekend. The North London band, made up of Ellie Rowsell, guitarist Joff Oddie, bassist Theo Ellis and drummer Joel Amey, have been bouncing around the states touring their newest album ‘The Clearing’.My senior studio design class took a trip to the big apple in 2022 and our dates coincided with tour dates for wolf alice’s show at Terminal 5. I was supposed to see them with one of my friends who ended up falling ill and decided it was better to sit that one out. I had never been to a concert stag, and frankly felt a little embarrassed to be. This trip was a turning point for my comfortability with independence. I spent most of my time walking around the city, thinking about what was in store for me post grad. Would I be working in the music industry? Would my designs be on the merch I was buying? Would I take a completely different path? That year my life had seemingly flipped upside down and there was something so welcoming about such a bustling city; it felt like I was instantly at peace there. I took the subway from our loft to the venue, got myself a shirt, a beer, and checked my coat before finding my place near the stage. I quickly made friends with a fellow next to me who went to college at Warren Wilson College, a tiny school in rural North Carolina. I remember him being relieved that I actually knew what he was referring to, him not having to give another geography lesson to an unassuming subject. It was then I met the rest of my evening, my new friends Cris and Johny. I believe it was their 10th Wolf Alice gig, so they were ecstatic when I let them know it was my first. I filled them in on what songs I was most excited to finally hear, and they filled me in on their countless memories surrounding this band. We spent most of the show enjoying it in our own worlds, until a song I mentioned would come on and they would turn around and get excited for me. It was a moment of human connection that will always stand out to me in my life. Music, especially live, gives a common ground for people that might not have a lot else that they share. Lucky for me, I shared a lot in common with them and we continued to spend the rest of the evening with each other at a local Guatemalan jazz joint until we closed the bar down. Their generosity will never be lost on me. 

While I didn't find my post grad home in NYC like I once thought I would, I found a place with music, and Wolf Alice. Seeing this band 3 years later is the closest thing I have to a time machine. I can almost step back to that girl in Hell's Kitchen. I'm this close to grabbing her and trying to shake her awake, but I don't. I let her go on this solo adventure as it clearly steered her in a direction that has made me feel so fulfilled. It made her more comfortable to do the potentially embarrassing things in life. One of those moments was just a few days before this show in Denver. It led me to a group at my local dive bar and next thing I knew, I had invited one of them to tag along to this concert with me. There it was again, Wolf Alice bringing me a common ground. It felt surreal getting to essentially relive such a special night in my life. I had almost stepped into a time machine. However, I was greeted with a new experience this time. I was there to do exactly what past me had been wondering about; taking pictures, working in the music industry, making community for myself outside of my comfort zone. 

The show started with “Thorns”, a song about turning your personal life into your creative process. It's a perfect mirror to what I am doing here, relieving parts of my life while seeing songs that soundtracked my pain live. Something about the line: ‘I must be a narcissist / God knows that I can't resist /To make a song and dance about it’ resonates with me, as my version of writing a song and dancing to it is photography. The band moved into a handful of their older songs, satisfying the longtime fans in the crowd. My standout from the set had to be their single “Bloom Baby Bloom”. While the set had less of their typical angsty sound, this song and record was a reminder of the ebbs and flows of life being mirrored through their music. You’ll have periods of struggle that will ultimately bring you the peace and healing you deserve. I think this album is a perfect example of that start of steadiness. That angst will live on, either in you or in their old records, but it's also going to bloom into something new. 

I was thrilled to hear one of my all time favorite songs still on the setlist. “Smile” was my go to plane walk off song. Something about it brought me the confidence to do the hard stuff. I first got into it while I was studying abroad, something that was a lot harder than I anticipated. You would think that it would be easy to leave home for a while to travel around Europe, but I was caught off guard with the difficulties of navigating that time in my life. After my summer, I landed back in the states to the soundtrack of “Smile”. I essentially had no confidence in myself at the time but the song was there to give me affirmations to bring me back to success. Specifically the opening ‘I ain't afraid though my steps appear tentative / I scope it out then I throw myself into it’, guided me through my insecurity. They ended the night with an encore of ‘Last Man on the Earth’ and a fan favorite ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’. The crowd roared the lyrics to both songs, and cheered for more as they departed the stage. 

I cannot wait to see the continued success of this band, as well as myself. I am so lucky to find music that resonates so deeply with chapters of my life, and this band sure knows how to do that. I hope it is not the last time we see them in Denver, but until then, keep using their music to build common ground with whoever is willing.