How Ellie Rowsell channelled Axl Rose for ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’
There’s been a definite shift in Wolf Alice‘s latest live sets. Ellie Rowsell no longer uses her guitar as a shield from the audience, and instead stands tall as a fierce figurehead, letting her newfound confidence flow freely, her charge driven by her desire to grow into who she was always destined to be.
But none of this feels egotistical in the way that many leading band figures come across. Perhaps that’s because, like many women in music, Rowsell is still learning how to feel empowered by her own achievements rather than intimidated by them, giving off a sense of appreciation even in moments when she’s yelling lyrics to the crowd and hearing them shouted back with the same fervour as when she wrote them.
Indeed, growing into yourself, for many, is a lifelong quest, but with this latest iteration of Wolf Alice, the core epiphany seems to have come naturally with adulthood, and facing up to yourself when things seem to be veering off course. Years ago, the band were a little more unsuspecting on stage, with Rowsell almost holding back with youthful resignation. Now, she’s broken free from the shackles of trepidation, embracing who she is in a way that also pokes fun at band dynamics and expectations.
“The iconography of a band is guitars and leather and all those kinds of things,” Theo Ellis recently told Rolling Stone, reflecting on how the oddity of being an outfit influenced their decision to shift into their new personas. “We wanted to play up to those stereotypes in a slightly more fun, reverential way,” he added, saying that “owning” those “totemic things” means they’re not taking themselves too seriously. And while this playfulness comes across on stage, there’s also a fire to Rowsell’s presence that feels edgy without being pretentious.
Wolf Alice bloom into a band reborn
Because that’s the thing: her gratitude comes across in spades, in her gentle laughter during ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’, or how she sings ‘Silk’ in earnest, and how she looks out to the audience with clear emotion written all over her face, as if knowing this could all end at any moment. But even if it did, it’s okay anyway because she had the time of her life. This all proves the continued authenticity of Wolf Alice, filled with as much intensity and sentimentality as ever, but with a different kind of attitude that no longer feels as tentative. And the song that captures this in earnest is undeniably ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’.
A song quite literally about growing into yourself and owning your space, ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ was inspired by Rowsell’s desire to break free from herself and the expectations placed on her by others. She wrote the song as much for herself as for her maturing audience, mainly as a means to celebrate the nature of stepping out for the first time and vowing to never hide away in the shadows ever again. “I wanted a rock song, to focus on the performance element of a rock song and sing like Axl Rose, but to be singing a song about being a woman,” Rowsell explained.
Adding: “I’ve used the guitar as a shield in the past, playing it has perhaps been some way to reject the ‘girl singer in band’ trope, but I wanted to focus on my voice as a rock instrument so it’s been freeing to put the guitar down and reach a point where I don’t feel like I need to prove that I’m a musician.”
Lyrically and vocally, the song feels like she’s finally breaking free. “Watch me, you’ll see just what I’m worth,” Rowsell roars, her explosive demeanour coming to the surface in the following line, “Look at me trying to play it hard / I’m so sick and tired of trying to play it hard”. It’s operatic, theatrical, and she’s finally leaning into the messiness of everything that makes her human. It’s anguished, but in a way that feels vulnerable and unafraid, revealing a version of the band that soars above their peers and earns themselves coveted headline spots at major festivals.
