From an audience of one to 45,000: Wolf Alice's homecoming gig shows how far they've come

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Wolf Alice cover Nirvana at emotional homecoming showImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The band played their biggest-ever headline show to 45,000 fans at London's Finsbury ParkByMark Savage Music correspondentPublished55 minutes agoSomething special occurs during Wolf Alice's big homecoming show at Finsbury Park. As they play Bros - a song about the enduring bonds of friendship - the video screens flash up old clips of the band as scrappy newcomers, driving in cramped vans, downing shots and playing to an audience of one at Coventry's Kasbah club. They don't make a big deal of it.

Nobody on stage mentions the video. But the implication is clear: look how far we've come. Formed 16 years ago by singer Ellie Rowsell and guitarist Joff Oddie, the band have slowly, but confidently, become the best young rock band in the UK.

The Details

On Sunday, they cemented their status by headlining their own mini-festival, topping a predominantly female bill that also included The Last Dinner Party, Lykke Li and Rachel Chinouriri. That solitary fan shown on the big screen has expanded into a crowd of 45,000 - Wolf Alice's biggest-ever audience. The emotion is amplified by the fact they're playing in the north London neighbourhood where they met.

"I grew up over there and I live over there," says bassist Theo Ellis, gesturing towards the horizon from the stage. "You have no idea how much this means to us. "Other bands might dwell on the moment, making a meal of the milestone.

Wolf Alice are too cool for that. Drummer Joel Amey punctures the pomposity during The Sofa - hamming up his accent as he sings about feeling "stuck in Seven Sisters, Norf Lahn-dan". Rowsell has to stifle her laughter as she finishes the song.

What Experts Say

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Wolf Alice are the only band to receive a Mercury Prize nomination for each of their first four albums - winning the award in 2018 for Visions of a LifeStill, the mile-wide smiles they wear throughout this tight, 100-minute show illustrate how proud they're feeling. "It's going to be so special," Ellis told me earlier this year. "Being able to play outside in the dark feels so exciting.

It just builds a really special atmosphere. "A day before the show, the feelings were more nuanced. "Feeling cheeky hehehehehe and also sick," the band posted on Instagram.

They needn't have worried. Wolf Alice deliver a triumphant rock show that highlights the versatility of their songbook; and their growth as performers. They strut onto the stage at 7:50pm, opening with Bloom Baby Bloom - a song that shifts from a funky piano intro to a titanic rock freak-out, with Rowsell's choirgirl vocals suddenly becoming a throat-shedding wail.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.