Jeremy's Indie Music: Wolf Alice, Albert Hall Manchester, 25th September 2015, 8/10

This audience in Manchester was overwhelmingly youthful, and some critics have argued Wolf Alice has limited appeal beyond their own cohort. Cynics argue they're derivative, and that they've heard it all before; of course ironically in itself this argument is far from original, having been deployed against each successive generation's art. In assimilating 90's shoegaze and grunge influences, they've created an eclectic new sound. Far from lacking coherence, this gives contrast: the very focus that support act Drenge brought to the stage failed to move or interest me. The Derbyshire brothers (expanded for touring) had Wolf Alice's visceral energy, but little of their subtlety, nuance, or gift for melody, instead focussing on rhythm. It has to be said though the audience didn't appear to share my reservations about this act.

Ellie Rowsell's ethereal vocals are an inspired juxtaposition with Wolf Alice's harder instrumental sounds. She could easily have continued with the folk leanings of the band's early days; indeed I hope she may return to her roots in a future side project. Yet now, she's able to command vast festival crowds, and even if the historic Albert Hall didn't quite match Latitude's tent in June for exuberance, there was no shortage of moshing and crowd surfing in Manchester. After all, in Freazy, Ellie exclaims: 'You can join us if you think you're wild'. Thankfully, her voice was at the front of the mix, and her technical team appear to have learnt from the balance problems which ruined their previous show in Manchester for me; and also added a backing vocalist for consistency on this tour.

This is especially fortunate since I appreciate the vulnerability and introspection in Ellie's lyrics: she sings of depression in Silk and anxiety in Soapy Water. Indeed when reviewing My Love Is Cool, Pitchfork commented: 'It's crushing but strangely comforting, like repeated viewings of The Virgin Suicides.' Yet, live, the experience is wholly uplifting, a shared expression of joy and excitement. The dramatic tension is increased by the contrasts in mood, between and within songs. Swallowtail starts as a civilised ballad before exploding into an aural assault, and the final encore Giant Peach becomes thunderous after a soft start. Despite playing 17 songs, including the entire album, the end of the set arrived all too quickly: there's no danger of tedium during this act. Moaning Lisa Smile was perhaps my highlight.

Dating back to 2010, Wolf Alice is far from inexperienced and they astutely toured for three years before finally releasing My Love Is Cool. Yet, it's inspiring to have witnessed their rapid progression during the course of this year, as their confidence and stagecraft has developed through playing larger venues. Ellie has moved on from a bookish aloofness to ably inhabiting more extrovert characters. It's tempting to focus on the lead, with her strong, pure voice and charisma, but I was stood in front of the other founding member, guitarist Joff Oddie, who was utterly committed and displayed an almost manic energy on stage. It's clear that this band means a huge amount to their generation Y audience. I share their excitement, as I also didn't experience indie rock in the early 90's. Yet, even to those who've heard it before, Wolf Alice's talent in songwriting and live performance gives an appeal which transcends age, and an overwhelming sense of hope for the future.