{"id":688643,"date":"2026-07-13T03:59:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T03:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/688643\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T03:59:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T03:59:31","slug":"wolf-alice-deliver-mammoth-career-spanning-hometown-show-at-finsbury-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/688643\/","title":{"rendered":"WOLF ALICE DELIVER MAMMOTH CAREER-SPANNING HOMETOWN SHOW AT FINSBURY PARK"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50<\/p>\n

Rating: 5 out of 5.<\/p>\n

LIVE REVIEW | WOLF ALICE w\/ The Last Dinner Party, Lykke Li, Rachel Chinouriri, Keo, Florence Road | FINSBURY PARK, LONDON 5th July 2026 by Morris Shamah<\/p>\n

According to Wikipedia, Wolf Alice played their first gig at in December 2010 at the Highbury Garage, a legendary 600-capacity North London venue just one Tube stop and 49,400 people away from last week\u2019s Finsbury Park headline show. In a demi-festival setting, Wolf Alice delivered a full headline adventure covering their entire career, complete with deep cuts and new favourites, mosh pits and tears.<\/p>\n

The six-band bill started early, with doors opening at noon. Irish quartet Florence Road<\/a> came on first. Their cross between indie rock and grunge-pop sensibilities matched perfectly in the sunshine. The field was still mostly empty, but the crowd was still energised. They were quickly followed by Keo<\/a>, relative newcomers who\u2019s debut album is due out this fall. Keo brought a punk energy to the stage, each band member frantically energetic, but at this point the crowd was struggling in the sunshine and mostly finding shade. For the front section, however, it a bit of an all-ages punk matinee show.<\/p>\n

\"\"Keo (Morris Shamah\/Northern Exposure)<\/p>\n

By the time Rachel Chinouriri started her set, the majority of the venue was filled. Chinouriri rose to the occasion, prancing and dancing all over the central catwalk, working the crowd and the summer day with a bubblegum joy. Chinouriri also came in with the first ballad of the day, a tender rendition of \u2018All I Ever Asked.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"\"Rachel Chinouriri (Morris Shamah\/Northern Exposure)<\/p>\n

For an all day single stage show, it was impeccably curated, with the exception of Lykke Li. The Swedish singer-songwriter came out strong and delivered her material like only she can, but her moody, slow, ethereal vibe was a disconnect for most of the now-filled festival field. Until the finale of \u2018I Follow Rivers,\u2018 most of the audience was using her set as a breather. A shame, as Li\u2019s performance would have been perfect for a dark club, but also a unintentional necessary rest from the unrelenting sun and heat.<\/p>\n

\"\"Lykke Li (Morris Shamah\/Northern Exposure)<\/p>\n

The Last Dinner Party,<\/a> the final opener, did not come to play. They delivered a headline-worthy set, a tour de force, a show deserving not only of an encore, but of the stage itself. Only ten songs, but all killer no filler, The Last Dinner Party\u2019s set packed in a full show\u2019s worth of catharsis, dancing, sing-alongs, and joy. Frontwoman Abigail Morris had the entire crowd eating from her decorated hands, all the way to the very back of the 50,000 capacity field.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Last Dinner Party (Morris Shamah\/Northern Exposure)<\/p>\n

They prowled and pranced through their new hits like \u2018Second Best,\u2019 and \u2018The Feminine Urge,\u2019 extended \u2018This Is The Killer Speaking\u2019 with an additional coda and an absolutely over-the-top camp dance lesson in which Morris took on a\u2026 let\u2019s call it \u201ccountry-western\u201d accent, for no apparent reason. By the time they closed with their first, and still, for now, biggest hit, \u2018Nothing Matters,\u2019 the entire audience was fully and completely engaged. Look for them topping these bills in the very near future.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Last Dinner Party (Morris Shamah\/Northern Exposure)<\/p>\n

After a 50 minute break, the stage was transformed to their now-signature The Clearing<\/a> era tinsel-foil-curtain backdrop, and Wolf Alice came out to a burst of confetti and the sound of a million screams. They start with \u2018Bloom Baby Bloom\u2019 immediately the show changes, from a multi-band fest to a Wolf Alice gig.<\/p>\n

\"\"Wolf Alice (Morris Shamah\/Northern Exposure)<\/p>\n

They play 22 songs in just over 90 minutes. If there\u2019s one criticism to be had, its that both the band and the excellent crowd deserved more time. They play those 90 minutes like it\u2019s the last \u2013 or first \u2013 gig of their lives, fueled by a hometown fire the likes of which are usually reserved for sports teams. The band softly drops out during \u2018The Sofa\u2019 for the lines \u201cFeels a little like I\u2019m stuck in Seven Sisters \/ North London, oh, England \/ And maybe that\u2019s okay,\u201d leaving just the crowd and frontwoman Ellie Rowsell to sing them in unison, right off of Seven Sisters Road. This is Wolf Alice\u2019s house, now and forever.<\/p>\n

\"\"Wolf Alice (Morris Shamah\/Northern Exposure)<\/p>\n

Later on in \u2018The Sofa,\u2019 Rowsell unleashes a yell the likes of which could maybe have been matched by Roger Daltrey in his prime, and the woman behind me bursts in to tears, Rowsell pulling them out of her with just the power of her vocal chords. \u2018The Sofa\u2019 is a standout from The Clearing, and Rowsell introduces it here by explaining that it\u2019s about embracing the many different facets of yourself \u2013 the wild thing, the domesticated, all of you. In that, it\u2019s about self acceptance, and I realise then that these tears \u2013 and this show \u2013 is not just business as usual.<\/p>\n

The set is very much multi-faceted. The first third is fairly dominated by The Clearing\u2018s mid-tempo arena rockers and radio-ready ballads, including the brand new B-side, \u2018Gospel Oak,\u2019 which was only played previously at The Royal Albert Hall in March<\/a>. Immediately following that, they treat us to \u2018White Leather\u2019, a tender, soft ballad from the deluxe editions of their debut record and not played at a tour stop since 2018 in Brixton. It flows beautifully from \u2018Gospel Oak\u2019, a new rarity segueing into an old bust-out for a one-two punch of hometown speciality. <\/p>\n

\"\"Wolf Alice (Morris Shamah\/Northern Exposure)<\/p>\n

If the first third is radio friendly, the back half is for the mosh. While Rowsell does a quick (and wet) costume change, bassist Theo Ellis demands the pits open up, and so they do, just in time for \u2018Yuk Foo\u2019 into \u2018Play The Greatest Hits\u2019 and \u2018Smile,\u2019 three of Wolf Alice\u2019s strongest and heaviest rockers. The crowd shifts, the sing-alongs now married by frenzied jumping and thrown elbows, an energetic yin to balance out the ballads\u2019 yang.<\/p>\n

The main set starts coming to a close with \u2018Visions Of A Life,\u2019 another rarity for the homecoming special, a treat fully appreciated by the faithful, and then the band starts playing \u2018The Last Man on Earth.\u2019 Now Rowsell is the one fighting back tears. She embraces the vulnerability, not hiding it, but she doesn\u2019t break either. \u201cWho are you to ask for anything else? \/ The thing you should be asking is for help \/ You\u2019d like a light to shine on you,\u201d she croons, the song reinvented in that moment from a cynical take on performative arrogance to a seeming acceptance of community and growth in collective identity. They close on \u2018Don\u2019t Delete The Kisses,\u2019 one last testament to insecurity wrapped up in a dance, and one of the all time great set closers.<\/p>\n

\"\"Wolf Alice (Morris Shamah\/Northern Exposure)<\/p>\n

The encore is pure energy, starting with \u2018Moaning Lisa Smile,\u2019 which was sorely missed on the arena run this autumn<\/a>, and ending with \u2018Giant Peach\u2019, probably the best of their mosh-friendly tracks. Between them, though, is one last unexpected surprise \u2013 the opening chords to \u2018Smells Like Teen Spirit\u2019. There\u2019s a palpable sense of \u201d is this really happening??\u201d throughout the jumping crowd, which only alleviates when they break into the verse. The band only treat us to one verse and chorus, though \u2013 a little nod to the things we all love being best enjoyed together.<\/p>\n

\"\"Wolf Alice (Morris Shamah\/Northern Exposure<\/p>\n

Wolf Alice don\u2019t need to prove anything to anyone. They\u2019re one of Britain\u2019s most creative and energetic bands, and have shown again and again that they\u2019re one of the great live acts we have touring today. But when they play like this, when they take a Sunday night in July and turn into an historical event, they prove that legends are still being written, right here in our dark and pretty town.<\/p>\n

Galleries<\/p>\n

Wolf Alice<\/p>\n

The Last Dinner Party<\/p>\n

Lykke Li<\/p>\n

Rachel Chinouriri<\/p>\n

Keo<\/p>\n

Florence Road<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

\t\tPost Navigation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 Rating: 5 out of 5. LIVE REVIEW | WOLF ALICE w\/ The Last Dinner Party, Lykke Li,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":688644,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[96,128,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-688643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-music","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/688644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}