Concert Review || Corona Theatre March 28th, 2022
Both Wolf Alice and winter returned to Montreal on Monday. While one is cold and harsh, the other was warm and inviting.
Seeing a packed Corona Theatre again seemed like a distant dream, but that was the reality of an evening of fantastic music and paralleled energy.
Charlie Hickey
For my first face-to-face interview in many years, I had the opportunity to speak with Charlie Hickey earlier in the afternoon about how his OCD is a superpower for exploring lyrics, his childhood friendship with Phoebe Bridgers, and his unfolding musical journey. Stay tuned.
Charlie eased us into the evening with his latest single Nervous At Night. I would probably be nervous opening for ravenous Wolf Alice fans yet their response was surprising.
I can’t say I recall when an opening band announces a song, cheers are heard from the audience, especially for Ten Feet Tall which closed his set.
Charlie & Ned Steves played some new and older songs like No Good at Lying & Seeing Things.
The vibe was heartfelt, and Charlie’s banter won over the crowd.
He encouraged us to: “Do something impossible and don’t apologize.”
I’m looking forward to seeing him continue his impossible journey with the May 20th release of his LP Nervous At Night.
Setlist
Nervous At Night
No Good At Lying
Count The Stairs
Dandelions
Seeing Things
Hangar (8485 Cover)
Ten Feet Tall
Wolf Alice
I’m just going to straight out say it: Wolf Alice is the coolest band right now.
Sometimes, you get the Wolf with its ferocious guitar fangs. Sometimes you get the Alice with sweet soothing sounds of Ellie. Together, they form one thrilling band that has the ability to tether between the extremes of loud quiet loud.
Ellie Rowsell was sporting a flowing black pantsuit and oversized white untucked shirt that was the epitome of cool.
The band stepped out to a ready crowd and dropped the hammer with Smile, which instantly started the party. It’s like starting a meal with dessert!
One fan in particular, right behind me, I could only describe as experiencing an orgasmic auditory experience, complete with weakening of the knees and distorted face throughout the performance. Good on you, mate…enjoy!
Kicking up another notch, You’re A Germ and Formidable Cool hit us with high intensity.
Lipstick on the Glass is one of the songs that shows the vocal dexterity that Ellie possesses. While being in the front, just a little left of her, I could hear the power of her voice directly, as it was also amplified for everyone else to hear. Chilling.
Theo Ellis, the bassist and cheerleader of the band was responsible for the energy of the room, which was kept at peak levels, along with drummer Joel Amey who showed the exuberance of someone just let loose from a prison of boredom. A great combo to charge up the crowd.
Missing from the lineup was Joff Oddie, whose replacement, Joe Keefe, did not disappoint.
Joel and their keyboardist joined Ellie for an acapella-like rendition of Safe From Heartbreak (if you never fall in love).
In an example of 0-60 Tesla Ludicrous mode, we went from How Can I Make It OK? to Play the Greatest Hits where the G-Force activated everyone’s party mode superpower, back to Silk to give us a breather from all the craziness.
A great classic was Moaning Lisa Smile which brought back so many road trip memories as My Love Is Cool and Visions of A Life were on repeat in our car for quite some time.
Ellie sat at the edge of the stage for an intimate version of No Hard Feelings for the goosebump moment of the night.
The set ended with Giant Peach which climbed in intensity until its climax, leaving us wanting more.
The encore was the dreamy The Last Man On Earth ending with the celebration of Don’t Delete The Kisses.
Wolf Alice unleashed their basket of goodies, new and old to a crowd that ate it all up with such exhilaration that I was reminded of what I missed about live music in a full venue…the exchange of energy between the band and the crowd, both leaving it all on the dancefloor when done right.
Tonight was a perfect night of music, joy and celebration where the band really did play the greatest hits.
Setlist
Smile
You’re A Germ
Formidable Cool
Delicious Things
Lipstick on the Glass
Planet Hunter
Bros
Safe From Heartbreak (If You Never Fall In Love)
How Can I Make It OK?
Play the Greatest Hits
Silk
Visions of a Life
Moaning Lisa Smile
No Hard Feelings
Giant Peach
ENCORE
The Last Man on Earth
Don’t Delete the Kisses
Photos: Steve Gerrard
Writer: Randal Wark is a Professional Speaker and MasterMind Facilitator with a passion for live music. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. His Podcast RockStar Today helps musicians quit their day jobs with out-of-the-box advice from Ted Talk Speakers, Best Selling Authors and other interesting Entrepreneurs and Creatives. He created the Rock Star Today Music Business Jam Session for musicians. Randal is a collector of signed vinyl, cassettes and CDs.
