A Real Rock and Roll Band: Wolf Alice Live in Austin

Following the release of their latest album The Clearing, British alt-rock powerhouse Wolf Alice brought their ethereal dream pop grunge to Emo’s Austin this past weekend.

In her review, writer Lauren Hernandez revisits her longstanding connection with the London quartet, tracing her journey from first discovering their music as a preteen in a Barnes & Noble to finally witnessing their live show years later.

Photo by Lauren Hernandez

A Wolf Alice concert is actually just a room with 500 lesbians.

I have never, and I mean NEVER, seen so many lesbians in my life. Everywhere I turned, there was another one, and another one, and another one. I guess I’ve been attending the wrong kind of concerts my whole life…

In 2017, Wolf Alice’s album “Visions of a Life” hit shelves. They were playing it over the speakers in Barnes & Noble, and my dad thought: Now that’s a real rock and roll band. He asked an employee what they were playing and bought the CD for my sister and me as an Easter present. We were twelve then and were just getting into music. 

Photo by Lauren Hernandez

Now, many years later, my friend David informed me that Wolf Alice was finally making a stop in Texas. I haven’t even been living at home, and really did not want to think about driving all the way to Austin for a band, but I submitted for a photo pass two days before the show. Somehow, they approved me, and I was able to hitch a ride with David.

I called my dad to convince him to join us. He declined, and I missed him the entire night. To put it shortly, Wolf Alice was the best concert I’ve photographed all year. I told my dad this afterwards, and he said, “Yeah. Out of all those punk shows you’ve dragged me to, it’s rare that I hear a band I’d actually listen to. Wolf Alice stopped me in my tracks. Now that’s a real rock and roll band.”