While the annual Coachella music festival has varying degrees of appeal depending on your feelings about the desert, festivals, hordes of sweaty bros, and the particular bands playing, an indisputably great side benefit of the festival since it became a two-weekend affair is the plethora of shows around California during the week between Coachella weekends. Since bands generally stick around the west coast during this time, you get some great show combos you might not usually get during a full-fledged tour. Example A: an absolutely smashing two-night, sold-out double-bill of UK bands at the Fox Theater on Oakland. While Scottish electro-rock trip Chvrches headlined the dates, London’s Wolf Alice are fast-approaching that level.
Touring in support of their excellent debut LP My Love is Cool, and fresh off a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance for their song “Moaning Lisa Smile,” Wolf Alice are a band ascendent. Hopping genres from grunge to folk to Van Halen-esque rock (complete with semi-choreographed shuffling during the riff-heavy intro to “Giant Peach”), the band played a too-short 11 song set. In addition to the two opening slots for Chrvches, Wolf Alice opened for The 1975 four days later at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, and continue on the tour with The 1975 through May. It won’t be too shocking to see them as the headliners the next time they come through the Bay Area.
Wolf Alice @ The Fox Theater, Oakland, CA, April 18th, 2016
Setlist:
Intro
Your Loves Whore
You’re a Germ
Bros
90 Mile Beach
Lisbon
The Wonderwhy
Fluffy
Giant Peach
Blush
Moaning Lisa Smile
Three Match Breeze 