Wolf Alice live at the Crystal Ballroom, October 8th, 2025

London, England-based band Wolf Alice stopped at The Crystal Ballroom for The Clearing Tour this past Wednesday. The Crystal Ballroom was packed entirely, with people covering every square inch of the venue. But, even with a venue full of fans, Wolf Alice has a way of making it feel like you just stumbled into your favorite bar and witnessed the best show of your life. It’s rare for a show of this scale to deliver such an intimate atmosphere.

To kick off the set, lead singer Ellie Rowsell stepped out sporting a Gretsch Super Chet electric guitar and opened with “Thorns,” the first track off their latest album, The Clearing, setting the tone for what would become a dynamic and emotionally charged set. From there, the energy began to intensify with songs like “Your Loves Whore”, the entire front row singing every line.

Wolf Alice has always been good at balancing soft, emotional moments with loud, explosive ones, moving between the raw, grungy rock they’re known for and the more experimental 70s soft rock sound of their newer songs. That balance was on full display all night. They also performed fan favorites like “Bros” and “Bread Butter Tea Sugar”. The band closed out their Portland set with an encore, performing “The Last Man on Earth” followed by fan favorite “Don’t Delete the Kisses.”

If the encore itself wasn’t enough to send the crowd into a frenzy, hearing “Don’t Delete the Kisses” live definitely did the job. Wolf Alice’s latest album, The Clearing, dropped earlier this fall, their first release since Blue Weekend back in 2021. The band is wrapping up the U.S. leg of The Clearing Tour with a string of dates in California. If you didn’t catch them this time around, keep an eye out for future shows. This is a band that’s only getting better, and their live set is not something you want to miss.