Whispers of the move first began when the group’s manager Stephen Taverner hinted at the prospect of a shift, confirming it in an interview with Music Business Worldwide in 2022. Taverner was quoted in the interview in the first person, describing Dirty Hit founder Jamie Obourne as “pissed off” by the decision, but said that ultimately Obourne “does understand” and that the band “were signed to him since their early 20s and they want to see what it’s like elsewhere. It’s nothing personal.” Taverner claimed that Columbia CEO Rob Stringer is a “huge fan”, and that Wolf Alice were eager to “experience something different”.

2022 saw a huge series of shows for the group, including global tour dates, supporting Harry Styles on his European tour and electric performances at Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds Festival. Their frontwoman and lead vocalist Ellie Rowsell also appeared alongside Spice Girls star Mel C and musician and actor Self Esteem on the single ‘Call Me A Lioness’, which was recorded for the England Women’s World Cup team and celebrated their historic win at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022. Since then, the group appear to be flying under the radar, and despite going cold on their social media channels, they still remain at the epicentre of online hype and TikTok edits.

Their last known performance was in September last year at a charity gig at the Sebright Arms in East London in aid of Barnfest, an all-day fundraiser for the children’s cancer charity Flynne’s Barn. The intimate performance included the band’s take on classics like The Pogues’ ‘I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Everyday’, Johnny Flynn’s ‘The Water’, and the American folk song ‘Plastic Jesus’, as well as acoustic versions of their own discography. The four-piece also delivered a haunting cover of Alex G’s ‘Bobby,’ which is featured on the deluxe edition of Blue Weekend. Rumoured to be working on new music, Wolf Alice’s move marks a significant shift for the coming-of-age quartet as they embark on an exciting new chapter with Columbia Records.

Wolf Alice live at Sebright Arms in support of @flynnesbarn [9/9/23] pic.twitter.com/PRQwDYdKbI

— gherkin rowsell (@gherkinrowsell) September 11, 2023

Hi guys here are our rescheduled European tour dates with a few extra shows added in tickets on sale now: https://t.co/LEsYYtupt1
PS all original tickets are still valid and if you can’t make the new date you can get a refund xxx pic.twitter.com/q1WWrG0qQx

— Wolf Alice (@wolfalicemusic) January 26, 2022

Beginning this Halloween, spooky, in Lisbon’s Coliseu Dos Recreios and running through to a final, recently added show in late November at Milan’s Fabrique- the 18-date tour sees the group head all over the EU. The dates were originally cancelled by the band after they stated in a tweet that they were “absolutely gutted” to be forced into postponing their upcoming run of shows, but as the band said, “people’s safety and access to our concerts is of the utmost importance to us and we feel that is something we can’t ensure at these large indoor shows”.

pic.twitter.com/RpnVnd4p05

— Wolf Alice (@wolfalicemusic) January 4, 2022

 Fans of the group have been hotly anticipating hearing the new material from ‘Blue Weekend’ after its release last June. Many had high expectations, most of which have been met. The group have a history of critical acclaim and unique potency on the indie music scene, back in 2017 Wolf Alice’s ‘Visions of a Life’ won the Mercury Price for that year’s best album. ‘Blue Weekend’ is consistent with the reputation their previous productions awarded them – a reputation of grungy, alt-rock and an extremely promising future, and for most this will be the first time to experience the music, as it was probably intended, in a live setting.

For more information on gig information, check here.

31/10/22 – Coliseu Dos Recreios – Lisbon
2/11  – La Riviera – Madrid
3/11 – Sala Apolo – Barcalona
5/11 – La Trianon– Paris
6/11 – La Madeleine – Brussels
8/11 – Den Atelier – Luxembourg City
9/11 – Kantine – Cologne
11/11 – Mojo Club – Hamburg
12/11 – Vega – Copenhagen
14/11 – Rockefeller Music Hall – Oslo
15/11 – Pusterviksbaren – Gothenberg
17/11 – Tivolivredenburg – Utrecht
18/11 – Doornroosje – Nijmegen
19/11 – De Oosterpoort – Groningen
21/11 – Kesselhaus – Berlin
22/11 – Muffathalle – Munich
23/11 – Dynamo – Zurich
25/11 – Fabrique – Milan

pic.twitter.com/vFvXVB1cVK

— Wolf Alice (@wolfalicemusic) December 24, 2021

The news, whilst disappointing to Scottish and Irish fans, is perhaps unsurprising to many given the recent spike in COVID cases, especially those related to the Omicron variant of the virus. Many other groups and artists, both in the United Kingdom and internationally, have sadly been forced to postpone and reschedule upcoming tours, either due to COVID risks, or border and travel restrictions related to COVID.

Presently, Wolf Alice have not announced any new dates, however they have stated that they will be rescheduled as soon as possible, and that any tickets purchased for the cancelled shows will still be valid.

Despite this, the band are still intending to go forward with the rest of the tour, of which there are fifteen dates, including stops in Newcastle, Manchester, Norwich, Liverpool and London. Tickets to these shows can be purchased here.

Following this UK run, the band will head to Europe for a fifteen-date tour, commencing on February 11^th in Paris, France. The band is set up for a bustling 2022, as they are also on the bill for multiple festivals including Tempelhof Sounds in Berlin, Best Kept Secret in the Netherlands and Reading & Leeds.

Wolf Alice released their third studio album, Blue Weekend on June 4^th of this year. It has been extremely well-received, ranking the third highest-rated album of 2021 on Metacritic when it was released, and being hailed by many critics as being the band’s best work since their inception in 2010. NME called the record “a masterpiece full of confidence and magic”, saying “Blue Weekend is the group’s most cohesive listen, and keeps intact the restless spirit that makes their work so unpredictable and exciting.” NME placed the album at number three on their year-end list The 50 Best Albums of 2021, with Little Simz Sometimes I Might Be Introvert and Sam Fender’s Seventeen Going Under coming in second and first place respectively.

Blue Weekend is available via all streaming services, and physical media can be purchased here.

See down below for the band’s upcoming January UK tour dates.

09/01/2022- City Hall- Newcastle
10/01- UEA- Norwich
12/01- O2 Apollo- Manchester
14/01- O2 Academy- Sheffield
15/01- O2 Academy-Liverpool
18/01- Eventim Apollo- London
19/01- Eventim Apollo- London
20/01- Eventim Apollo- London
22/01- O2 Guildhall- Southampton
23/01- De La Warr Pavilion- Bexhill-on-Sea
27/01- O2 Academy- Birmingham
28/01- Pavilions- Plymouth
30/01- O2 Academy- Bristol

In the video, Roswell just got home and, after a relaxing bath, she collapses in a bed and the water from the bath seeps over the edge. As the song climaxes, the short movie reveals the singer’s body to be imaginary and made of water. You can watch the video below.

The video clip for “The Beach” is set to feature in the “Blue Weekend” short film, also directed by Jordan Hemingway.  Indeed, Wolf Alice has announced that they will screen the short film at Soho’s Picture House in London on Thursday, June 10^th. The four-piece band also announced that they will be playing a live acoustic performance before each screening – one at 6.30 pm BST and the other at 8.45 pm BST. Tickets can be found here.

The band said: “Last winter we began making a visual feast for your eyes. Set on a night out we wanted to bring the music of “Blue Weekend” to life with this beautiful film directed by Jordan Hemingway. Pints and ciggies have literally never looked this good lol. This was an amazing experience and we really hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Thank you to our incredible team.”

 The London based band released “Blue Weekend” as their third body of work. After having won the Mercury Prize in 2017 for “Visions of a Life”, they continued to deliver with their alternative rock’s uniqueness. Wolf Alice are ready to hit the road in 2022, performing in many prestigious UK venues such as London’s Eventim Apollo.

‘Blue Weekend’ had high expectations, all of which have been met. What more could be expected from the group who have a history of critical acclaim and unique potency on the indie music scene. Back in 2017 Wolf Alice’s ‘Visions of a Life’ won the Mercury Price for that year’s best album. ‘Blue Weekend’ is consistent with the reputation their previous productions awarded them – a reputation of grungy, alt rock and an extremely promising future.

OUR 3RD ALBUM BLUE WEEKEND IS OUT NOW! We put our hearts in to this album & it means nothing more to see you all enjoy it thank you endlessy for your kind words & support We forgot to bring an album to take a picture with so here we are with our second favourite thing – fry ups pic.twitter.com/IXbC2G7umD

— Wolf Alice (@wolfalicemusic) June 4, 2021

Each track on the album produces an immensely emotional account of commonly held and relatable anxieties that young people have in a modern age. With these anxieties are the hardships that come with them. Wolf Alice highlight these hardships as heartbreak, struggles of individuality and even the loss of friendship. Such emotion is captivatingly expressed by Ellie Rowsell – guitar and vocalist for Wolf Alice. Together with the rest of the band: guitarist Joff Oddie, bassist Theo Ellis and drummer Joel Amey, they produce the perfect mix of sensitivity and hard edge. As each track in the album passes, an ongoing battle between whispered lyrics and moments of shouting contribute to a unique energy that is in constant fluctuation.

The indie band’s new album, only released today, is already receiving critical praise, proving that the bands ambitious career is ongoing. Alexis Petridis for the Guardian, in review of ‘Blue Weekend’, gave the album five stars. Petridis recognises the album as “a lunge for something bigger” and he states, “there’s something undeniable about it, the beguiling sound of a band doing what they do exceptionally well, so that even the most devoted naysayer might be forced to understand its success”.

In light of this recognised success, it is undeniable that we can expect to see a lot more from Wolf Alice and their sublime grunge, alt rock. Not only did they release a new album today, but they also released the tickets for their upcoming US tour, which is set to start this fall and can be read about here.

‘Blue Weekend‘ is a brilliant and immense 40 minute journey accompanied by the outstanding balance of orchestral rock and sensitive, first-person confession.

Smile is out now https://t.co/0HFtq2Obvo pic.twitter.com/v2vaAZCMzj

— Wolf Alice (@wolfalicemusic) April 20, 2021

The song was inspired by lead singer Ellie Rowsell’s desire to fight back against those who try to define her. “It’s about people that make assumptions about you,” she told Annie Mac.

Rowsell also said of the track “This is one of the songs we wrote thinking that we would play it live.” She added “I miss that feeling of singing on stage. It’s like screaming into a pillow or something — you can get away with being more nasty. There’s a whole other part of me missing.”

The song is both heavy and hypnotic, guaranteed to make an impact when played live. In the music video, the saturated visuals of old punk pub-goers is combined with the shaky fisheye lens of the band’s live performance in a trippy and riotous video that provides the perfect accompaniment to the rocking track.

The music video directed was by Jordan Hemmingway who has also done work for Gucci, Raf Simons, and Comme Des Garçons. ‘Smile’ is the band’s second collaboration with Hemmingway. It follows the release of the first single from ‘Blue Weekend’, February’s ‘The Last Man On Earth’.

You can stream ‘Smile’ now. Preorder ‘Blue Weekend’ here.

‘Blue Weekend’ Tracklist:

1. The Beach
2. Delicious Things
3. Lipstick On The Glass
4. Smile
5. Safe From Heartbreak (if you never fall in love)
6. How Can I Make It OK?
7. Play The Greatest Hits
8. Feeling Myself
9. The Last Man On Earth
10. No Hard Feelings
11. The Beach II