Live Review: Wolf Alice, Bad//Dreems

You know when you go to a gig and song after song you say to yourself, "Oh, I know this song!", that's Bad//Dreems. Coming into their set, expectations are non-existent, but bit by rocking bit the four-piece from Adelaide suck you in. It's not just the tight four-to-the-floors or the surging rock guitar that do it, but the physical presence of their (possibly inebriated) lead singer Ben Marwe singing with a bottle in hand, swaying noticeably, that makes it hard to look away. But why would you want to? A solid set of rock, from the bark of Dumb Ideas to the rollicking Cuffed & Collared. They're very, very good.

The enormity of Glastonbury may have only been weeks ago, but a less than capacity Oxford Art Factory felt like a perfect place to watch the latest buzz UK rock band, Wolf Alice. Starting with Fluffy, from their excellent debut album, My Love Is Cool, their alt-indie-'90s vibe flows over the crowd like a well-used blanket. The sound from the quartet is guitar-heavy, but the precise power that lead singer Ellie Rowsell displays in her vocals captures our attention. She stalks the stage like a rock veteran, shifting between the delicate vocals of Blush and White Leather and the wail of She and Giant Peach.

The relatively tame crowd are disappointing, but perhaps we're taking in the quality of the music in front of us, rather than throwing ourselves around in wild abandon as the kids probably will at their Splendour set. The 60 minutes finish with their breakthrough hit, Moaning Lisa Smile, which finally inspires some movement in the crowd. Too little, too late, as Rowsell leaves the stage with a wry smile and an assumption that this is not the last we'll hear of Wolf Alice.