There was a crackle in the air before Wolf Alice even stepped onstage, the kind of charged, anticipatory energy that only comes when a band returns to the city that made them. From their scrappy London beginnings to two sold-out nights at The O2 Arena, this felt like a coronation years in the making.
Wolf Alice @ The O2
The North London four piece opened with Thorns, letting its atmospheric tension settle across the arena before easing into Bloom Baby Bloom and White Horses. The sound was immaculate, loud, clear, and vast, but still intimate enough to feel like a shared secret between the band and the thousands watching.
During Formidable Cool, frontwoman Ellie Rowsell took a misstep, “proper fell over, and immediately laughed it off with: Felt like I was falling for 10 seconds, pretty impressive really”. The crowd erupted, a moment that made the show feel even more alive, grounded, and human.
A major thread of the night was the band’s latest record, The Clearing. A bold and confident expansion of their sound. Where Visions Of A Life revelled in chaos and Blue Weekend glowed cinematic and melancholic, The Clearing leans into something warmer and more luminous. There’s a touch of Fleetwood Mac, yacht rock shimmer, clean melodic lines and breezy, sunlit textures, without losing the emotional spine that defines Wolf Alice.
The Sofa, a standout from the new album, was a highlight – its dreamy, reflective atmosphere blooming beautifully in the vastness of The O2. Alongside it, Safe In The World, Safe From Heartbreak (If You Never Fall in Love), Delicious Things, and Bread Butter Tea Sugar showcased the band’s newfound warmth and sonic clarity. These are songs built on space, harmony, and emotional openness, and they filled the arena with surprising ease. Bassist Theo Ellis as theatric as ever, guitarist Joff Oddie hiding behind a growing mop of hair while drummer Joel Amey kept the set’s pulse steady.
But the night wasn’t without the snarling, feral pulse that first put Wolf Alice on the map. You’re A Germ, Yuk Foo, and Play The Greatest Hits tore through the room with unfiltered energy, proof that the band’s evolution hasn’t meant abandoning the grit. New classics like Just Two Girls, Leaning Against The Wall, and Bros arrived with renewed force, lifted by a mix that captured every detail without losing any rawness.
The main set closed with the swaggering run of Play It Out, Giant Peach, and Smile, the band fully in command of their home city’s biggest stage.
For the encore, Wolf Alice shifted into something grand and emotional. The Last Man On Earth soared, almost spiritual in scale, before Don’t Delete the Kisses wrapped the night in a euphoric, heart-swelling haze.
Wolf Alice at The O2 Arena wasn’t just a gig. It was a triumph, a celebration of a band growing not just bigger, but deeper, braver, and more sonically adventurous. The Clearing marks a new era for them, and seeing those songs slot so confidently alongside old favourites made one thing very clear: This band not only deserves to be here, they’re built for it.
Live review of Wolf Alice at The O2, London on 3rd November 2025 by Nick Allan. Photography of Wolf Alice at The O2, London on 4th November 2025 by by Neil Lupin / neillupin.com .
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