The first thing Theo Ellis, bassist of English rock band Wolf Alice, thought of when he learned The Badger Herald was a popular, defunct TV show — albeit one set in Green Bay.
“Is that where ‘That ’70s Show’ takes place? I love that show,” Ellis said.
Wolf Alice will bring their brand of fuzzy, ’90s-inspired music to Madison April 10. Calling in from York, England before a show later that night with the rest of the band, Ellis spoke with the Herald about the band’s origins, inspirations and what aspects of performing in Madison excite him.
An up-and-coming band straight out of North London, Wolf Alice came together through mutual friendship. Throughout their time the band has released two EPs and an album, My Love is Cool, which have generated an immense buzz — including nominations from award ceremonies like the BRITS and the Grammys.
The album is full of heavy, echoed guitar riffs that some have compared to grunge acts like Nirvana. Ellis said this similarity was not intentional, but a product of the band’s upbringing. Growing up in the ‘90s, grunge was “part of what [the band members] were digesting,” he said.
Where Wolf Alice differs from these influences can be found in lead vocalist Ellie Rowsell’s singing. Roswell switches between ethereal and subdued vocals, like on the track “Bros,” and giddy shouting, which can be heard on the punk-inspired track, “You’re a Germ.”
This contrast between hard and soft is part of what makes the band’s music so strong and engaging. This contrast also displays the band’s wide variety of musical influences ranging from grunge and punk all the way to mainstream pop music such as the English all-women group All Saints, Ellis said.
Despite having crisscrossed the globe multiple times over the span of their brief career, Wolf Alice still enjoys small gigs full of young people, like Madison, as much as large arenas. When Ellis heard Madison was a college town full of rowdy young people ready to rock out, he was excited
“The rowdier the better,” he said.
A Wolf Alice show is meant to be a memorable experience, and playing to American crowds thrills the band because they’re more “vocal” and “encouraging,” Ellis said.
The American brand of rowdiness will fit nicely with the bombastic anthems “Giant Peach” and “Moaning Lisa Smile,” the latter garnering the group a Grammy nomination.
“The Grammys were fun, and it’s nice to get recognized,” Ellis said.
But the band doesn’t make music that panders to critics, and awards “isn’t what it’s all about,” he said.
Instead, Wolf Alice seeks to cater to the screaming fans in the audience of wherever the concert may be. Big or small, every concert is important and exciting to Wolf Alice.
Concertgoers can embrace the goosebump-inducing grunge of Wolf Alice April 10 at the Majestic Theatre.
