Wallows at Alexandra Palace, London confirms they are - and always were - destined for arenas

Words: Abigail Firth. Photos: @/cloudyytots.

Anthems are Wallows’ lifeblood, and for their debut headlining slot at London’s Alexandra Palace, they make sure you know it.

First taking to the Great Hall stage in 2019 as the opening act for heroes Vampire Weekend, it was always certain they’d headline it themselves one day. Back then, they’d recently released their debut album ‘Nothing Happens’, which, thanks to its wide-eyed ambition and surplus of indie earworms, still makes up a considerable portion of the ‘Model’ tour set.

Kicking off with that album’s closer ‘Do Not Wait’ behind a white sheet, it drops to reveal the band as ‘Model’’s opening track ‘Your Apartment’ fires up, making for a direct comparison between the band they were last time they played this stage and the band they are now.

‘Model’ was built with big rooms in mind, and you’re reminded of that every time one of its tracks arrives, but there’s something to be said for how well even the pre-debut-album tracks work here. ‘Scrawny’ hits just as hard as ‘Anytime, Always’ preceding it, and even earlier tracks like ‘These Days’ from 2018’s ‘Spring’ EP make for massive moments.