Wolf Alice bassist Theo Ellis is currently away from the stage, awaiting the arrival of a new baby with his partner. Rather than scale back their North American arena run alongside Olivia Rodrigo, the band phoned Sunflower Bean vocalist and bassist Julia Cumming. Throughout October, Cumming is handling four-string duties for the British quartet, stepping out in front of arena crowds across the continent.
The temporary handover became public when Cumming posted a clip of herself and Wolf Alice singer Ellie Rowsell riding scooters together. In her post, Cumming explained how meaningful it was to be asked to cover for Ellis while he tends to major family life at home. She quickly got to work tackling material from across the band's catalog, noting during rehearsals that the track "White Horses" stood out as an immediate favorite. Her stage debut came soon after in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the group tore into "Play The Greatest Hits". Cumming pointed to that performance as a high point of the evening, adding that she regards Ellis as one of the most engaging bass players to watch and hear in rock right now.
The tour itself is an extensive commitment. Wolf Alice are serving as support on Rodrigo's Unraveled Tour, a 65-date arena trek supporting her third studio release, You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love, which followed her 2021 debut, Sour. The itinerary began late last month with a two-night stand in Connecticut before moving south through Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and into North Carolina. From there, the schedule takes the bands to Chicago on Monday, October 12, followed by dates in Boston, Montreal, Toronto, and Columbus before the end of the month.
Stepping in on bass for this particular band is not a casual assignment. Wolf Alice's latest record, The Clearing, brought the group their second UK Number One album, a BRIT Award, and their fourth consecutive nomination for the Mercury Prize. Ellis has explained in past discussions that the material on that record was intentionally written to test the quartet's playing abilities, noting that stretching technical limits onstage kept the group sharp and prevented complacency.
Cumming was already familiar with the group's world before picking up the bass parts. She previously joined Wolf Alice on their companion collection, The Clearing: B Sides, providing vocals for their take on The Roches' "Hammond Song". That release leaned into softer arrangements alongside tracks like the piano-oriented "Gospel Oak" and the acoustic song "Hit The Sky".
Beyond her long tenure fronting Sunflower Bean, Cumming arrived at these rehearsals with fresh solo work behind her. She released her debut solo record, Julia, back in April, supported by the earlier singles "My Life" and "Please Let Me Remember This". Managing technical, high-energy bass lines in arenas while fitting smoothly into another band's established rhythm is a demanding test, but Cumming brings the musicianship and composure needed to hold down the low end.
