Wolf Alice + Willy Mason @ Beanfield Theatre▪

I only found out that Willy Mason was playing tonight about three hours before the show started. I saw him touring with the criminally underrated Ben Kweller around 20 years ago, back in my native Manchester, England, and was hooked. He seldom tours around here—I think there has been one other show in the 18 years I’ve lived here, but I can’t figure out when it was. Evidently, it was low-key, as it’s unfindable online.

In any case, a few rearranged plans later and I am here and ready! In contrast to previous occasions where he was solo and acoustic, he arrives on the big Beanfield stage as part of a four-piece, and with a sound that has changed immeasurably. Three songs in, hi-hat drumming underpins the Bloc Party-esque “Take It Off,” and suddenly Willy’s show is an indie-dance party?! The classic “Hard Hand to Hold” is reworked from its original format too, but still sounds great.

The 40-minute set goes in all sorts of directions and is a fascinating watch. Other moments are very country, those skiffle beats making me feel like I’m watching an episode of Yellowstone, while things get altogether more delicate with the arrival of guest vocalist Jessie Pinnick, who adds angelic harmonies to a couple of songs. After she leaves, the rock vibes return to close out the set for the last two songs. An epic return, and what a start to the evening!

The recent British invasion continues tonight with my fourth UK band in the last nine days. After stellar returns for The Darkness, James, and Kula Shaker, tonight it’s the turn of London’s Wolf Alice. A packed-out Theatre Beanfield roars in approval as the five-piece arrives onstage to ethereal music, freeze in their positions for a moment, then dip into mellow set opener “Thorns.” Touring their new record The Clearing, it’s astonishing how much of it the crowd can sing along to already; “Passenger Seat,” “Leaning Against the Wall,” and “White Horses” get especially loud singalongs.

Vocalist Ellie Rowsell absolutely owns the stage in a bodysuit and knee-high boots, whether rocking the guitar on songs like “Your Loves Whore,” or prowling the stage on “Formidable Cool,” snarling her vocal like Amy Taylor (of Amyl and the Sniffers). She takes it up a notch further on “Yuk Foo,” screaming her vocal through a megaphone. “Play the Greatest Hits” is an unquestionable highlight of the set, a blazing punk rock-out of epic proportions!

It’s not all loud though. With a bright spotlight on her and a fan blowing in her face, she cuts a bona fide Mariah Carey on “Bloom Baby Bloom.” “Play It Out” features a delicate piano intro that showcases her vocal in a purer form, before the rest of the band arrives to take things into Roxette power ballad territory. Ellie beckons drummer Joel Amey and keyboardist Ryan Malcolm to the front of the stage for a stripped-down “Safe From Heartbreak (If You Never Fall in Love),” and when a young fan called Chloe in the crowd pipes up, “Can I sing too?” Ellie looks surprised, but approves: “Yeah, go on then!” Chloe is hauled up on stage and puts in a great performance, sharing a mic with Ellie. She won’t be forgetting this show in a hurry!

“Silk” sounds every bit as wonderful live as I hoped it would, its pummelling bassline a glorious contrast to the chaos of “Play the Greatest Hits,” which preceded it. An enormous glitter ball hanging above the stage gets good mileage throughout the night, giving a celestial aura to the room on songs like “Just Two Girls” and show closer “Don’t Delete the Kisses,” the latter of which also employs a bubble-blowing machine to add a carnival vibe to the party.

Bassist Theo Ellis declared midway through the set, “This is amazing, thanks so much for coming!” Judging by the cheers as the band leave the stage after a spectacular 90 minutes, the feeling was mutual.