Waiting anxiously in the pit of the Bellwether for Wednesday’s set, I feel giddily eager in a way that I haven’t experienced in a very long time. I used to count down the months until I could see my favorite bands in high school; now that I’m a frequent concert-goer, I miss the excitement imbued in that novelty. However, Wednesday’s performance manages to restore the anticipatory thrill that first ignited my love of live music.
My two current musical hyperfixations are indie folk and shoegaze, so it only makes sense that Wednesday is my latest obsession. Their sound is new, distinct, and refreshingly unique, featuring traditional elements like the lap steel guitar on heavily distorted hard rock tracks. I first heard Wednesday’s latest LP Rat Saw God a few months ago, shortly thereafter discovering (and loving) Twin Plagues and I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone. Since thoroughly exploring their discography, I’ve eagerly awaited hearing their music live for the first time.
Further building my anticipation, opening act Draag comes onstage to warm up the crowd. The LA-based band has been labeled “electro-shoegaze,” a fitting descriptor for their set composed of an eclectic range of samples and experimental sound atop distorted guitars. Originally founded by Adrian Acosta, his solo project has since grown into a five-piece band, adding on vocalist Jessica Huang, guitarist Ray Montes, bassist Nick Kelley, and drummer Eric Fabbro. Huang quickly catches my eye with her distinct style and avant-garde haircut; she evidently brings a new aesthetic and sound to the group. Acosta and Huang’s drastically different voices blend harmoniously, echoing over the layered synth and guitar tracks.
Draag announces excitedly that their latest EP, Actually, the quiet is nice, was released tonight, before going on to play a couple tracks off the new record. Draag’s set is electrifying, sufficiently amping up the crowd in preparation for Wednesday. After they leave the stage, Wednesday later advises that we see them while we can, before they get “really famous”; I’m betting that the shoegaze elements of Draag’s genre-bending sound likely attracted an overlapping audience among Wednesday’s fans tonight.
As Wednesday finally takes the stage, I watch excitedly as the band falls into place: Karly Hartzman and Jake “MJ” Lenderman on the guitar, Xandy Chelmis on the lap steel, Ethan Baechtold on the bass, and Alan Miller on the drums. Hartzman, the founder of the band, also leads on vocals. Her presence is casual, yet effortlessly cool; she wears oversized JNCO jorts, a Snoopy “California” t-shirt, and a cheugy airbrushed trucker hat that I’ve only ever seen at overpriced tourist traps, while rocking black lipstick in a way that no one else can. She then abruptly launches into “Toothache,” a fast-paced song that feels to me more like a short narrative poem.
In quintessentially folk fashion, a Wednesday song tells a story. It somehow makes the ordinary feel deeply poetic, romanticizing both the beautiful and the ugly of the American South. Hartzman hails from North Carolina, the physical and cultural landscape of which inspires much of her writing. Her prose ranges from mundane and symbolic to sardonic and vulnerable, often flip-flopping between the two in an emotional rollercoaster of a song.
“If you’re lookin’ for me / I’m in the back of an SUV / Doin’ it in some cul-de-sac / Underneath a dogwood tree / I’m the girl that you were chosen to deserve”
“Chosen to Deserve”
Hartzman reveals that the band just finished recording their next studio album, teasing unreleased songs “Candy Breath” and “Wound Up Here.” She adds tauntingly that these songs won’t be coming out until 2026–I can’t decipher whether this is a joke, but either way Wednesday fans have something to look out for.
Halfway through her set, Hartzman brings out a special guest, who she introduces as the inspiration for her obsession with glittery guitars and country rock: Jessica Lea Mayfield. Though the two only met for the first time today, they sing a duet of Mayfield’s song “Seein* Starz” in perfect harmony. After Mayfield leaves the stage, Hartzman gushes to us once more about meeting her idol, then feigns nonchalance in order to transition into the next song, “Quarry.”
“The rain-rotted house on the dead end of Baytree, old bitter lady / Sits caddy corner to the aftershock from the quarry / She says, ‘America’s a spoiled child that’s ignorant of grief’ / But then she gives out full-sized candy bars on Halloween”
“Quarry”
Wednesday closes out the show with “Bull Believer,” an eight-minute-long lament ending in Hartzman’s guttural screams, followed by another unreleased track, “Wasp.” The latter is much more punk-adjacent than Wednesday’s typical sound, but the crowd loves it, and so do I. Ultimately, I’m left stunned by Hartzman’s ability to end every show yelling through the final songs, while still maintaining her pristine voice for the next night’s performance.
By the end, I’m left depleted of energy and dopamine, with goosebumps on my arms and sweat on my brow, bracing for the inevitable onslaught of post-concert depression, and my only thought being of how I can see Wednesday again as soon as possible.
Note: this setlist is missing unreleased songs (“Candy Breath,” “Wound Up Here,” “Reality TV,” & “Wasp”)
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