WOLF ALICE – CARDIFF UTILITA ARENA, 1ST DECEMBER 2025

By Resonate | March 4, 2026

Wolf Alice always should’ve been playing arenas. 

Fourth album, The Clearing, opener, Thorns, kicks the set off, the powerhouse, Ellie Rowsell, standing on a platform below glittering silver streamers adorning star shaped rigging hanging above the stage. The more gentle, sultry sonics blend perfectly into lead single Bloom, Baby, Bloom encapsulating the quiet fierceness of Rowsell’s vocals. 

It’s her voice that’s enough to leave any listener with goosebumps; a buttery, smooth vocal range which moves quickly from intimate softness to feral intensity with ease. On Yuk Foo and Play The Greatest Hits, she utilises a megaphone, adding to the angry resonance, and completely contrasting her softer vocals on numbers such as Play It Out, and soaring, cathartic single, The Sofa. On the confident, swaggering Formidable Cool and irate You’re A Germ, there’s a powerful rasp to her vocal tone.

Whilst Rowsell’s voice is impeccable and often incredibly moving during a live show, especially when paired with the lower tones of drummer Joel Amey’s on Safe From Heartbreak (If You Never Fall In Love), Safe In The World and White Horses (the Cranberries induced single largely led by Amey), she’s a frontwoman who seems to have only recently found her confidence. Instead, bassist Theo Ellis and guitarist Joff Oddie both take on crowd-hype duties, the whole band putting on a show that is a masterclass in both musicianship and stage craft. 

Following an encore, the band perform a mesmerising rendition of The Last Man On Earth, under a spotlight, before closing the night on the swoon of arguably their biggest song, Don’t Delete The Kisses, the conversational verses telling a vivid, relatable story of modern dating, the chorus a celebratory release. 

It’s a tour-de-force show marking Wolf Alice as one of the UK’s most vital bands. Despite undeniably always being destined to be an arena band, it’s beautiful to see Wolf Alice finally getting the recognition they deserve. If anything, their music dazzles more. 

WORDS BY KATIE HILLIER