The band began in 2010, initially as a solo project of Ellie Rowsell, with the name taken from a short story by Angela Carter. She was joined by guitarist Joff Oddie and later by Joel Amey and Theo Ellis. They released a self-titled EP, Wolf Alice in 2012 as well as a single called "Leaving You" which gained airplay from BBC Radio 1 and featured in NME's 'Radar' section.
They then toured with Peace, recorded a session for Huw Stephens' Radio 1 show in January, and released their first physical single "Fluffy" in February 2013 on the Chess Club label. Their second single "Bros", released in May, is about friendship and is one of the first songs Rowsell wrote and the band usually played it during their early stages.
2017–2020: Visions of a Life, Mercury Prize Win
In June 2017, Wolf Alice released the lead single "Yuk Foo" off their second studio album, Visions of a Life. They released three more singles, "Don't Delete the Kisses", "Beautifully Unconventional", and "Heavenward", before the release of their album on 28 September. In 2018, they also released "Formidable Cool", "Sadboy" and "Space & Time" as singles from the album.
In September 2018, the band won the Mercury Prize for their album Visions of a Life
2021–present: Blue Weekend
On 15 February 2021, the band's website was updated to show a looping video of an eye, with the heading "The Last Man on Earth". On 22 February 2021, the band announced that their single "The Last Man on Earth" would be released on 24 February 2021, and would debut on Annie Mac's show on BBC Radio 1. The release of the single was backed by the announcement of their third studio album, Blue Weekend, which was released on 4 June 2021. The second single from the album, "Smile", was released on 20 April 2021.
Blue Weekend received widespread critical acclaim, and was nominated for the 2021 Mercury Prize. On release, music publication The Forty-Five called Blue Weekend "a ballsy idyll of feeling: the sound of a band satisfying themselves rather than proving themselves, and completely filling the space they’ve carved out over the years."
Wolf Alice won the 2022 Brit Award for Group of the Year.
On October 29th 2021, the band released Blue Weekend: Tour Deluxe which includes four live versions of tracks from the album ('Smile', 'How Can I Make it OK', 'Safe From Heartbreak', and 'The Last Man on Earth') as well as a live cover of 'Bobby' by Alex G.
On 5 May 2022, the band released a lullaby version of "The Last Man on Earth" as a single and announced Blue Lullaby, an EP featuring reworked lullaby versions of five tracks from Blue Weekend, which was subsequently released on 24 June 2022. During the summer of 2022, the band played 17 shows supporting Harry Styles' Love On Tour, the first date in Hamburg on the 26th of June and the last show in Lisbon on the 31st of July.
Official site
White Leather
Wolf Alice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
but you were smoking with your friends outside and I see
big things for you
I made plans for you and I.
I scream scream for us
'cause I have dreams of bigger stuff and in them
sometimes I'm hot, tell me when I'm gonna get what I want.
Get.what I want
I saw you pass me by,
Not alone, not even a smile and I said
We're sayin' goodbye, goodbye.
I pour a drink for you
but you were smoking with your friends outside and I see
big things for you
on my own, at least for a while
The lyrics of Wolf Alice's song, White Leather, depict a sense of hopelessness and yearning for a better future. The first verse paints a visual of a person pouring a drink for someone they care about, but that person is not present because they are smoking with their friends outside. The singer then confesses to having big plans for the two of them, but the lack of reciprocation from the other person causes frustration. The chorus has a tinge of desperation as the singer screams for the possibility of achieving something greater, but doesn't know when that will happen for them. They also express the desire to get what they want and leave behind the love that they once shared with the person they poured the drink for.
The second verse seems to confirm that the relationship has ended as the singer watches the other person pass them by without any acknowledgement. They resign themselves to saying goodbye, but still continue to pour a drink for the absent person, suggesting that they still care deeply for them despite the circumstances. The last line of the chorus, "on my own, at least for a while," emphasizes the idea that the singer is willing to move on and wait for better things to come. Overall, the lyrics of White Leather explore themes of unrequited love, disappointment, and the yearning for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
I Poured a drink for you
I tried to do something nice for you
but you were smoking with your friends outside and I see big things for you
But you were too busy hanging out with your friends and I know you're capable of doing great things
I made plans for you and I.
I envisioned a future where we're together and achieving our goals
I scream scream for us
I'm passionate and determined to make things work between us
'cause I have dreams of bigger stuff and in them sometimes I'm hot, tell me when I'm gonna get what I want.
Because I have ambitions and sometimes I feel on top of the world, but I need to know when I'll achieve my desires
Get.what I want and forget how you love us,
I want to focus on my own success and not be held back by our relationship
I saw you pass me by, Not alone, not even a smile and I said We're sayin' goodbye, goodbye.
I saw you walk by with someone else and without acknowledging me, so I realized it was time for us to break up
I pour a drink for you but you were smoking with your friends outside and I see big things for you
Even though I still care about you, you're too busy socializing and achieving great things for me to interrupt
on my own, at least for a while
I need to focus on my own goals and well-being for the time being
Contributed by Anna V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ivy Wright
Verse 1]
I bought a drink for you
But you were smoking with your friends outside
And I see big things for you
I made plans for you and I
I scream screams for us
Cause I have dreams of bigger stuff
And in them sometimes it happens
Tell me when I'm gonna get what I want
[Chorus]
Get what I want
And forget who I was
And I'm away
[Verse 2]
I saw you pass me by
No hello not even a smile
And I say a silent goodbye, goodbye
I bought a drink for you
But you were a smoking with your friends outside
And I see big things for you
I'm on my own at least for a while
Benzin 78
I bought a drink for you
But you were smoking with your friends outside
And I see
Big things for you
I made plans for you and I
I scream screams for us
Cause I have dreams of bigger stuff
And in them
Sometimes it happens
Tell me when I'm gonna get what I want
Get what I want
And forget who I was
And I'm away
I saw you pass me by
No hello
Not even a smile
And I said
A silent goodbye
Goodbye
I bought a drink for you
But you were a smoking with your friends outside
And I see
Big things for you
I'm on my own
At least for a while
And I'm away
Ivy Wright
Verse 1]
I bought a drink for you
But you were smoking with your friends outside
And I see big things for you
I made plans for you and I
I scream screams for us
Cause I have dreams of bigger stuff
And in them sometimes it happens
Tell me when I'm gonna get what I want
[Chorus]
Get what I want
And forget who I was
And I'm away
[Verse 2]
I saw you pass me by
No hello not even a smile
And I say a silent goodbye, goodbye
I bought a drink for you
But you were a smoking with your friends outside
And I see big things for you
I'm on my own at least for a while
Patrick Sheridan
Wish they could shoehorn this into their sets more often, such a beautiful song.
J. Kev video productions.
When they are headliners exclusively and playing longer sets I would imagine they might. Not too long. A year or two tops.
Michael Zubay
According to Joff they play this a lot during sound check
Joe baggins
I was fortunate enough to see them at a small under 18s gig in Kingston in November 2017, the fans got to choose the set and White Leather was on it. It was awesome!
Hero Of Old
Saw them at a small gig in London and got to hear this. Was awesome!
foxmouth
This will always be my favorite wolf alice song
John Thompson
same here
الولايات الجزائرية للملائكة
Same
Brisa Abigail
same! 🖤