London, UK · alt-rock

Wolf Alice

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Mercury-winning UK alt-rock — from whispered folk to full-throated fuzz in one set, Ellie Rowsell commanding every register.

Wolf Alice began in 2010 as an acoustic duo formed by singer Ellie Rowsell and guitarist Joff Oddie, who met at an open mic in Islington. The name comes from a short story by Angela Carter. Early lineups also included bassist Sadie Cleary and drummer James DC before Theo Ellis and Joel Amey joined, completing the band by 2012.

The band moves between quiet, folk-inflected songs and loud guitar rock, with Rowsell's vocals shifting from near-whisper to shout within a single track. Early singles "Fluffy" and "Bros," released in 2013 on Chess Club Records, established this range, followed by the EPs Blush and Creature Songs after the band signed to Dirty Hit in 2014.

Their debut album, My Love Is Cool, followed in 2015 and included the earlier single "Moaning Lisa Smile," which reached No. 9 on the US Alternative Songs chart and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance.

Visions of a Life, released in 2017, debuted at No. 2 in the UK and was named among the year's best albums by multiple publications before winning the 2018 Mercury Prize.

Blue Weekend, in 2021, became the band's first UK No. 1 album, and Wolf Alice won the 2022 Brit Award for British Group. A fourth album, The Clearing, followed in 2025, also topping the UK chart and earning a nomination for the 2026 Brit Award for British Album.

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alt-rock