Wolf Alice react to being the first act to have four albums nominated for the Mercury Prize and explain why touring ‘The Clearing’ has felt different to previous records
00:00Hello Wolf Alice, welcome to the Mercury Prize.
00:03How are you doing?
00:04Good, thanks. Happy to be here.
00:06Yeah, you are, of course, I'm sure you've heard many times already today
00:09that you are the first artist to be nominated for four albums.
00:13What does that mean to you guys to be constantly kind of getting that validation from this award ceremony?
00:19Yeah, it's overwhelming. I think it will settle in maybe post the ceremony.
00:23People keep mentioning it. I'm like, oh, that is incredible. So we're very great.
00:27What does it mean to you to be back at the Mercury's this year, particularly with this album?
00:32It's so nice. It's so nice for anyone to recognise what you've worked really hard on.
00:35We're really proud of this album and if anyone likes it, you know, that means a lot.
00:39This institution champions such great records.
00:42People are really revered that are making an album.
00:45We wanted to make an album this time, so I think that's double nice.
00:49Yeah, I'm happy to come and have a drink.
00:52As always. You guys just finished your tour of America.
00:56I saw you posting on Instagram about some of the moments from the shows that kind of made you emotional.
01:00How were the gigs out there?
01:01Did they kind of feel like different or more special than previous tours, would you say?
01:05Years on.
01:06Yeah, it does feel different.
01:08Our show is different.
01:10Well, there's a lot of stuff that's the same.
01:13But it just feels kind of different.
01:16It's just really exciting.
01:18Yeah, how different, in what way is it different? Sorry.
01:21I don't know, I feel like everyone's playing better.
01:24Different things, so.
01:26I don't know, it's a little bit more like...
01:29No sense.
01:30That would be too.
01:32...bought and bond into performance and energy and stuff, yeah.
01:37You've got the European tour coming up next and then the UK tour with your Two Nights at the O2.
01:41Your biggest shows ever, how are you feeling about those?
01:44You get lots of shit scares.
01:46I'm excited.
01:47Oh yeah, I'm up for it.
01:48Yeah.
01:49It's going to be fun.
01:50Like, yeah.
01:51It's obviously strange that Jeff wasn't with us for this last tour, but it's the first time we brought these songs to the stage and I've been loving it.
01:56So now we're just going to keep building upon that as the weeks go past.
01:59Yeah.
02:00Nice.
02:01The narrative around this album, from outside of the band at least, has been that you're kind of really going for it now.
02:06With that in mind, do you have any big plans for next summer?
02:09Maybe a Reading headline or an All Points East or anything?
02:12It's up to other people.
02:14It's funny that people think we're really going for it.
02:16We've been going for it for a while.
02:17Yeah, exactly.
02:18I was going for it on Leaving You.
02:19Yeah.
02:20What's it been like kind of seeing that narrative being put out by everyone else then when you don't
02:25agree with it?
02:26Maybe.
02:27Well, as in people think we're like...
02:30Yeah, like you're really making a leap now.
02:32We're so locked in our hair.
02:34Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:35I start ironing my clothes and everyone loses their minds.
02:39But look, we're very passionate about this record.
02:41We love this record.
02:42It took a lot from us to get it to where it is.
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