Wolf Alice and Special Guests Turn Green Man Festival Into Dream-Pop Crossover
Wolf Alice transformed their Sunday headline set at the Green Man Festival in Wales into an indie-rock convergence on August 23, 2026. Performing on the festival’s Mountain Stage at Glanusk Park, Ellie Rowsell and her bandmates welcomed collaborators Anna Calvi and Dove Ellis to the stage. Together, the trio treated the Welsh festival crowd to the live debut of “Sunday Light” before launching into a cover of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You.”
From War Child’s HELP(2) to the Welsh Mountain Stage
The collaborative appearance was anchored in tangible recent history. Earlier this year in March, War Child Records released its HELP(2) benefit compilation, which featured “Sunday Light” as an original track credited to Anna Calvi, Nilüfer Yanya, Dove Ellis, and Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell. While Nilüfer Yanya was absent from the festival performance, the remaining three artists utilized the weekend gathering to bring their studio collaboration onto a live stage for the very first time.
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Producer James Ford shed light on the collaborative ethos behind the project earlier this summer. Speaking about the creation of the record, Ford noted that Calvi wanted multiple voices to feature on the composition. As Ford described to NME regarding the recording sessions, everyone was pushing the spirit of collaboration, seeing who else wanted to come down and do some wailing. Ford characterized the resulting track as a very heavy, mournful, almost funeral march of a song that is really beautiful.
Tracing an Alternative Lineage With Mazzy Star
Rather than treating the guest appearance as a standard festival cameo, Wolf Alice and their peers transitioned directly into Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You.” According to Spacelab Music, the cover worked because the song choice, the guest performers, and the Green Man setting all belonged to the same emotional weather system. Instead of falling into the trap of nostalgic pastiche, the combined forces of Rowsell, Calvi, and Ellis leaned into their shared indie lineage, utilizing slow-burn tension to honor the composition.
The performance came during a landmark weekend for Wolf Alice, marking their first-ever appearance at Green Man. The headline slot allowed the North London four-piece to celebrate the one-year anniversary of their second Number One album, The Clearing. That record earned the band a record fourth consecutive Mercury Prize nomination alongside a BRIT Award.
Pushing Boundaries Across the Live Circuit
Reflecting on the ongoing evolution of the band, bassist Theo Ellis spoke to NME about the intentional artistic hurdles they set for themselves. Ellis noted that making and playing material from The Clearing presented genuine challenges, but emphasized that not feeling like you’re resting on your laurels is really exciting. That drive to push forward was palpable as the band blended recent charity contributions with dream-pop history under the Welsh night sky.
With their festival commitments rolling onward, Wolf Alice is preparing to take their live show across North America later this year. The band is scheduled to support Olivia Rodrigo on the opening leg of her Unraveled Tour, sharing bills with special guests including The Last Dinner Party, Devon Again, Die Spitz, and Grace Ives. What are your thoughts on modern indie collaborations stepping outside their comfort zones? Drop a comment below and let us know your favorite live cover performance.
