With a reputation as the LGBTQ capital of the UK, being queer is celebrated in Brighton all year round. Every once in a while, though, it gets celebrated a little bit extra, like at the Queer As Day Fest showcasing some of the finest queer bands around, including the South London-based Wolf Girl.
The DIY punk/noisy pop four-piece explore the themes of sexuality, gender identity and anxiety through the means of crunching guitar lines and hooky pop melodies laced with incredible harmonies.
Their set at the fest starts out with the lead single ‘Moody’ of Wolf Girl’s second album Every Now and Then, released just last month through Everything Sucks Music. The song’s 80s-style pop punk and rock blend perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the set, with guitar solos and instrumental breakdowns throughout giving off vibes of a female, queer version of a pop-punk Green Day.
One of the most notable things of Wolf Girls live performance is their switching between vocalists for certain songs. Where most of the set is fronted by bassist Healey, drummer Christabel takes lead vocals on ‘Dream Partner’ and ‘Bad Weather’ is fronted by guitarist Carl. ‘Bad Weather’ simultaneously starts out as the weakest song vocally, with the intro and first verse falling behind in quality compared to the other songs in the set. However, after a heavy instrumental the song picks up and proofs a good attempt at delivering the same quality as the female-fronted songs.
Overall, Wolf Girl delivered a worthwhile set consisting of punky guitar lines and loud, heavy instrumentals – although sometimes perhaps slightly too loud to the point of overshadowing the meaningful, relevant lyrics that define what this band is all about.
Rating out of 10: 7/10
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