Months and months and MONTHS of prep went into Wolforna’s headline EP release show on 1st November. Blood, sweat and tears had nothing on their input. They’d hired the event space at Headrow House, enlisted the support of Scouge and White Lupara, choreographed an entire set of lights and transitions, and dressed to impress in custom-made gear. The hardest working band I know? Without a shadow of a doubt. It was all to create the ultimate performance, which promised — and delivered — a good old-fashioned rock show. And I’d say I’ve just about recovered from it now…

There was a bit of a Christmas Eve atmosphere about the venue; an anticipation of greatness clung to the air, and spirits were high as more and more people entered the room. Wisely, many had come down early to catch the very loud, tightly refined first act of the night: White Lupara. The Manchester-based outfit brought a fiercely confident display of rock with them, nudging the borderline of ‘90s Americana at points. It was no wonder they’d been considered the right fit to open for Wolforna.

Next up: all treats, no tricks. Grunge trio Scouge (not ‘Scrooge’, not ‘Scourge’), who I’ve become a huge fan of this year, were impeccably well-orchestrated from start to finish — 30 minutes passed in the blink of an eye. In that time, frontman Rob’s sick Gibson SG provided the fantastic fretwork, and his skeleton costume served old-school Halloween. I get inexplicable Dinosaur Pile-Up vibes from the three-piece, who outdid themselves on the uber-cool ‘BOUND’ and newer ‘Fall Apart’.

A darkness descended upon Headrow as a projector offered the only light, pulsating on Wolforna’s logo. Sinister sensations and expectations built as their walk-on music fuelled the end-of-the-world creepiness. The tampered audio clip that played as they entered the stage, amid an almost total blackout, was of Resident Evil’s supercomputer. The young girl’s voice couldn’t have been eerier, and it signalled the first of the intense, freaky soundbites. These punctuated the entire show, mirroring the EP’s tracklisting, as Wolforna played all five songs ahead of a curated setlist of crowd-pleasers. Ranging from the classic ‘Penrose’ to the wildly popular ‘Break You’, they’d thought of it all, and I couldn’t spy a soul who wasn’t gripped.

For the first time ever live, they welcomed a third guitarist to their arrangement — none other than their own producer. Who better to understand every nuanced intricacy of Wolforna’s polished setlist? It allowed for ‘Zombie Knife’ to be scaled down to two guitars while retaining its colossal, bounding energy, and for ‘Reset’ to be dialled up — probably beyond 11. The pure chugging riffs against the rumbling bass and stabbing drums gave it this beefed-up, mighty sound that had the masses cheering.

What’s more, they’d cleverly laced the sitar into the backing on ‘What’s That In Old Money?’, and each tune benefited from the harmonised vocals of three members. The trifecta. And before I knew it, it had all ended (way too soon) with ‘22 Degrees & Sunny’, the BBC Radio 1 favourite. A stark reminder of how much abundant talent the band’s had in its locker for so long, yet an outstanding send-off for an EP launch for the ages.

I’d never seen so many bodies in the room; huge props and credit to Wolforna for selling out the event. As the lads oozed power and unrivalled skill, the crowd devoured every riff, and the frenzied lights did a stellar job of holding our gaze. And from amp stands to the merch table itself — dripping in caps, cassettes and tees — they’d branded everything. 

I’m dying to see them again already. Feeling the same way? The good news is, the boys will be returning to the city for Live at Leeds on 16th November at Sela.