Concert Review: Wolf Alice with The Cordial Sins at The Basement

The last time Wolf Alice was in Columbus, they debuted a brand new song, “Yuk Foo,” one of the band’s hardest rocking tunes to date. A little over a year later, the UK quartet was back, treating the sold-out crowd at The Basement to more than a few new songs from their forthcoming sophomore album, Visions Of A Life, which is set to be released on September 29.

This was the first ever CD102.5 “Trust Us” Series show, where the headliner was not

revealed until the show sold out. Those fans who bought tickets were greatly rewarded, and if you didn’t trust CD102.5 then you missed one of the absolute best shows of the year.

The band opened their set with a new track, “Don’t Delete the Kisses,” which had just been released the day before the show. This song, a bonafide love song, showcases Ellie Rowsell’s range, alternating between near whispers more spoken than sung on the verses and yearning full-throated calls on the refrain. It sits in stark contrast to “Yuk Foo,” the curse word filled, aggressive screamer. But both songs are unequivocally Wolf Alice, and prove that this is a rock band that won’t be forced into one little box.

After kicking off the show with the “Don’t Delete the Kisses,” Rowsell and the band, Joff Oddie (guitars, vocals), Theo Ellis (bass), and Joel Amey (drums, vocals), returned to a couple of more familiar songs, “Bros” and “You’re a Germ” from their debut album, My Love Is Cool. The rest of the band’s set was a

mixture of new and older songs, including “Yuk Foo,” as well as unreleased tracks “Planet Hunter,” “Beautifully Unconventional,” Heavenward,” and “Visions Of A Life.” The title track from the forthcoming album was one of the highlights of the show.

What really stood out throughout the show was the confidence and joy displayed by the whole band, and especially by Rowsell. The last time Wolf Alice was in town, the band’s onstage presence was more subdued, except for bassist Theo Ellis, who always is full of frantic energy. Maybe it was just that night or the extensive touring that had worn them down, but Rowsell seemed, at times, to be tentative and less than comfortable at the center of the stage. However, on this night she was constantly smiling between songs and displayed a commanding and confident stage presence throughout the evening. The whole band seemed like they were having a blast.

The band closed out the evening with a furious trio of “Fluffy,” “Giant Peach,” and “Moaning Lisa Smile,” leaving everyone in The Basement sweating and thoroughly spent, but still wanting more. After the band left the stage, the crowd chanted and yelled, pleading for Wolf Alice to come back out for one more song, but to no avail, the house lights came up and the night was over. Hopefully Wolf Alice will be back to Columbus soon once the new album is officially released.

The Cordial Sins opened the show with a fantastic 10 song set. The Columbus band, fronted by Liz Fisher, has recently opened for national acts like Maybird and The Greeting Committee, as well as playing frequently with other Columbus bands. The Cordial Sins released their debut full-length album, Daze, in late 2015, and are currently working on a new EP to be released this fall. Their more recently released single, “Go On,” showcases what the band is all about, showing off Fisher’s big rock ‘n’ roll voice, complemented by great guitar work from Corey Dickerson and Kyle Edwards. The Cordial Sins sound is the kind of dreamy, blues/folk influenced, pure rock that takes everything that was great about ‘70s classic rock, but makes it feel very modern and up-to-date.

Check out our photo galleries of Wolf Alice and The Cordial Sins below.

Even more photos can be found over on our Flickr page.

Wolf Alice Setlist:

1. Don’t Delete the Kisses

2. Bros

3. You’re a Germ

4. Yuk Foo

5. Lisbon

6. Planet Hunter

7. Visions of A Life

8. Blush

9. Beautifully Unconventional