Review | The Gleefully Outrageous Remi Wolf at the Santa Barbara Bowl

On the same night America was gawking at the Trump/Harris debate circus, there were smiles, laughter, and genuine excitement to be had at the Santa Barbara Bowl, thanks to rising “funky soul pop” artist Remi Wolf.

Flashback to summer 2022, when she opened for Lorde’s Solar Power tour and belted out hits like “Liz” and “Photo ID” with the manic energy of Janis Joplin. Shooting across the stage, as she chipped a tooth and could’ve easily twisted an ankle, Remi Wolf proved herself a rising star, and cemented me as an instant fan.

This time, Wolf returned as the headliner to kick off her Big Ideas tour, with opener Lava La Rue. They set the tone early with their intro to “LOVEBITES,” saying, “This next song is gay as fuck, so if there are any queer people here, it goes out to you guys!” A diverse audience clad in 90s street style (bucket hats, bright colors, bold patterns, and big hair) went wild for the funky, hip-hop infused trio from London.             

Then came Wolf, in a tomboyish “Dumb Snow Bunny” baseball tee and cargo pants, blasting the crowd with cotton-candy, Care Bear–cute aggression. Her seven-piece backing band powered the genre-bending artist through modern pop (“Cinderella”), artsy grunge (“Frog Rock”), groovy funk (“Toro”), and even country (a driving, straight-faced cover of “Life Is A Highway” by Rascal Flatts).

Her speaking voice is disarmingly childlike — she told of meeting fans in the “wonderful community” of Santa Barbara, giving them permission “to sing and be weird and let all your energy out” — though she sings with astonishing range and power. Purrs, wails, yelps, and screams to musically convey the highest highs and lowest lows. Her music is catchy and offbeat, full of surprises, equal parts heartfelt and raunchy; at various times Wolf flirted with both male and female guitarists — and even flashed the front row for an encore, putting Justin and Janet’s Super Bowl stunt to shame and giving our Bowl an eyeful.              

“I’m a person who gets so enthralled with something, and then when it’s done, I’m bored!” Wolf said, as a prelude to a reworked version of “Sexy Villain.” Energetic, fun, and sometimes filthy, we hope Remi Wolf keeps following her muse and maturing as whatever “mature” looks like for this outrageous, one-of-a-kind talent.