All of the Arts 9 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘Wolf Alice’ June 25, 2018 by museumoflost 'Wolf Alice' are a British band that has taken the alt-rock world by storm. If you haven't heard of them, you will, Here are 9 things you didn't know about these hip up-and-comers. ALL of the ARTS 9 Things You Didn't Know About 'Wolf Alice' Click Start to begin. Ellie Roswell Started Her Career Playing a Recorder at the Pub Wolf Alice front woman Ellie Roswell was born in North London in July, 1992. Her parents were Irish, and Roswell grew up in the Irish community based around Archway. At primary school, she learned how to play the recorder, and sing Irish folk songs. She was part of a school musical group that used to go round the local Irish pubs, playing traditional music and singing songs. Roswell recalled in an interview, 'We were going to pubs and playing sessions as an afterschool thing. And I was really scared. They always asked me, 'Do you want to do the singing?' But I was always too afraid.' Roswell and Guitarist Joff Oddie Met on an Online Forum Wolf Alice guitarist Joff Oddie was born in rural Devon, in England's south west. His step father was a professional musician and, as a kid, Oddie was mainly into folk music and singer-songwriters; Bob Dylan, Nick Drake and John Fahey among them. He attended university in Bristol, and then moved to London, looking to get into the music scene. Roswell met him when she replied to a post Oddie had left on a band website, saying he was looking for a singer. They clicked instantly, and started playing together as a two piece in small venues, to even smaller crowds. 'The toilet circuit,' Roswell later called it. The Band's Name Comes from a Brutal Fairy Story Angela Carter was an iconcolastic British writer, whose works were heavily influenced by both feminism and psychology. A renegade youth, Carter dropped out of university, married young and travelled widely on the cheap. Her early writing focussed on her own experiences, including her difficult relationship with her parents, and her own bouts of depression and anorexia. 'The Bloody Chamber' is a short story anthology, that Carter wrote in 1979. The final story, 'Wolf Alice', is a provocative variant on 'Little Red Riding Hood'; the Wolf Alice of the story is raised by wolves, but subsequently 'rescued' by nuns, who send her to live with her uncle. The uncle, a Duke, is also a werewolf who imprisons Alice in his castle, and forces her to help him luring victims from a nearby town, that he can feed off. The wild, very bloody story has a devoted fan base, counting Roswell and Oddie among their number. Roswell and Oddie's Guitars Have Backstories Oddie is a guitar collector, and has more than a dozen special axes that he has acquired over the years. But the principal guitar's that he and Roswell play have more modest backstories. Oddie favours a white, 1962 Fender Jaguar, that he purchased off the website Gumtree; 'It’s all beat up and disgusting, I bought it second hand from a bloke in America who had just put it to one side.' Meanwhile, Roswell plays a black Telecaster that was provided by Oddie himself; 'That was my birthday present when I was 14 or 15. I’m not precious about Ellie playing it cos electric guitars can take a pounding.' The Bass Player Has Type 2 Diabetes Roswell and Oddie recognised that their two piece had limitations, and added Theo Ellis (bass) and Joel Amey (drums), to broaden their sound. Both were veterans of the London music scene, and brought a professional rigour to the fledgling band. Ellis (pictured) also has Type 2 Diabetes, a conditon where the body shows resistance to the normal effects of insulin, and is best managed by a healthy lifestyle; fresh food, plenty of sleep, and a controlled environment. All things that may be in short supply for a band that is on the road a lot. In an interview in 2017, Ellis reflected on the fact that Wolf Alice had played 147 shows in just over six months; 'It's not bad, but it definitely can be tricky.' In the same interview, Roswell also says that Ellis, 'sleeps with his eyes open.' The Band Are Jeremy Corbyn Supporters Wolf Alice are left leaning, politically, and have been vocal supporters of British Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn (pictured). Roswell said in an interview that Corbyn had 'galvanized a generation' of young people, and would appear in a Labor Party video promoting voter registration, ahead of the 2017 election. Corbyn, for his part, has declared himself a fan of the band, and has tweeted about his love of 'Visions of a Life' to his millions of twitter followers. They Also Organised a Pro-Refugee Benefit Concert 'Help Refugees' is a British NGO that was formed in 2015, in response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Ellis was a supporter of the organisation, and in 2016 was the driving force behind a series of live shows designed to raise money, and awareness, for the cause. 'Bands 4 Refugees' brought together Wolf Alice, MIA, Pixie Geldof, and a host of other Britsh acts, who performed several concerts together, with all proceeds going to the charity. The Rolling Stones provided the rights to 'Gimme Shelter' free of charge, which became 'Bands 4 Refugees' signature song. More concerts are planned for the future. They Have Appeared in a Feature Film Michael Winterbottom is a British film maker who has had a successful career in films and television. Known for tackling a diverse range of projects, and mixing real life events with fictional elements, in 2016 he decided he wanted to make a movie about an up-and-coming band. The film would be 'On the Road', and would star Wolf Alice playing a stylised version of themselves. Mixing real footage of the band on the road, both backstage and in concert, with an invented love story between two members of their crew, the movie was something of an experiment. Winterbottom was an early fan of Wolf Alice's music, and also knew Theo Ellis; the two had been neighbours, and Ellis had attended school with Winterbottom's daughter. 'On the Road' received a mixed critical reception, but its unique approach has helped it develop a cult following. Roswell's Aunt is on the Cover of 'Visions of a Life' The striking cover of the band's second album is a picture of Roswell's aunt, who as an adult became a professional dancer. The album itself is rumoured to be about a break up, although Roswell is coy; in an interview she said only that it 'was about something going from one state, to a different state.' As the principal lyricist, Roswell has mined her own life for a lot of Wolf Alice's songs; 'Bros' is about a childhood friendship, while 'Purple and Green' is about her grandmother, who was suffering from dementia. Their most punk inflected song, 'Yuk Foo', is simply the singer saying enough, 'I was angry about a lot of things when I wrote that song, and it was meant as a ‘fuckk you’ to the expectations people place on you, whether that’s as a friend, a lover or an artist.' More MUSEUM OF LOST Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading... Related Post navigation The Evan Dando IncidentThe Magpie