Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 6

Wolf Alice Headline 45,000 at Finsbury Park, Covering Nirvana in Hometown Triumph

Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 6

Wolf Alice Headline 45,000 at Finsbury Park, Covering Nirvana in Hometown Triumph

Q: What does their surprise Nirvana cover signal about the future sound of a band now celebrating its own rock history?

It signals that Wolf Alice are unlikely to abandon rock; instead, they seem poised to make it one element in an even broader sound. At Finsbury Park, the Nirvana cover worked as a statement of lineage. Ending a career-defining homecoming with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” tied Wolf Alice directly to the 1990s alternative tradition that has long shaped them, and it reinforced their credentials as a band still capable of delivering brute-force guitar catharsis on a mass scale. In a show built around their own history, it suggested they now see themselves as part of that rock canon rather than merely students of it. But the wider context points away from a simple return to grunge. Their set moved easily between heavy tracks, dream-pop textures, punk bursts and softer folk-leaning moments such as “White Leather,” while recent material from The Clearing and its B-sides has shown a stronger pop and piano-led side. “Gospel Oak,” in particular, suggests they are still experimenting with mood, arrangement and genre. That makes the Nirvana moment look less like a blueprint than a reminder of their core strength: loud, emotionally direct alternative rock. As they prepare for a bigger US push, including arena dates with Olivia Rodrigo, the most likely future is a band that keeps its rock muscle front and center live, while continuing to pivot on record between pop, folk and indie textures. The cover signaled confidence in their roots, not confinement by them.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 6

45,000 fans watched Wolf Alice play their biggest-ever headline show at London’s Finsbury Park, a homecoming concert in the north London area where the band first met.
Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” arrived as a surprise encore, capping a 100-minute set that mixed recent songs with rarities including “Lisbon” and “White Leather.”
The show leaned into larger-scale production — confetti, a 40-foot glitterball, a costume change and extra musician Ryan Malcolm — while preserving the band’s harder edge on songs like “Yuk Foo” and “Smile.”
The milestone crowns a strong 2026 for Wolf Alice after a second No. 1 album and a Brit Award for best British group, with a bigger US push next via 18 arena dates supporting Olivia Rodrigo.