Wednesday had been touring their latest album, Bleeds, for the past month. The North Carolina based “bootgaze” (country and shoegaze mix) band Wednesday, who has been steadily rising to the top of college radio charts over the past four years, crossed the border into Detroit shortly before their show. Walking into the Majestic Theatre, bathed in their signature blue light, I shuffled in among other 20-somethings with baby bangs, flannel, and mustaches galore. Just the place I wanted to be!
Daffo, a Los Angeles based band, opened for Wednesday. They were just over a month off the release of their first LP, Where The Earth Bends. On the surface, both Daffo and Wednesday had a very similar sound, beyond the tonal qualities of their voice. Daffo and their touring band brought the crowd to life with their heavily folk-influenced rock.
What separated them from Wednesday was a lack of the country elements like pedal steel. They seemed to be a stripped back version of Wednesday; somehow lacking the southern experience that makes Wednesday so charming. With that being said, tracks they played such as “Bad Dog” and “Go Fetch” made them feel like a darker version of Wednesday, both in sound and lyricism.
Generally, it was hard not to compare the two bands to each other, both being so similar in twang elements and noise heavy interludes. Gabi Gamberg, the voice and vision behind Daffo, brought great energy even during her slower tracks. Daffo left the crowd with a taste of what Wednesday is, leaving the crowd eager for more.
Daffo left the stage, being replaced by a set of strange dolls seen in their earlier imagery strewn across the stage. Lamps illuminated the other toys on the set, setting the stage for the eerie, yet comforting scene that reminded me of going back home after being gone for so long. It’s like Wednesday was inviting us into their home. Karly Hartzman, the lead vocalist, entered the stage, button decorated guitar strapped across her chest, reminding me of a jar I’d found deep within a junk drawer at my childhood home.
They opened with the first track off Bleeds, “Reality TV Argument Bleeds.” The noise feedback ridden build up left the crowd at a standstill, waiting for the chugging guitar and a drum beat to start dancing along to. Hartzman’s vocals softly glided over the gritty, distorted guitars and came to the forefront of the sound.
Bleeds, being their most diverse sound, utilizes the best elements of folk, noise, and almost nonsensical lyricism. “Elderberry Wine,” the lead track off Bleeds, was a crowd pleaser being one of their current most played and one of their slower songs.
Midway through the show Hartzman pointed out a section in the middle of the crowd and encouraged the moshers to make their way over in preparation for “Pick Up That Knife.” Eager crowd members, myself included, made their way over to the center as the track began. Hartzman began to laugh as moshers thrashed around a bit too early, believing the chorus to start sooner than it was actually going to.
The most meaningful moment of the show was Hartzman encouraging fans to scream along to “Bull Believer,” and to find motivation behind their screams. Voice breaking, she spoke about ICE raids at a local Greensboro grocery store she used to frequent. She let out her screams for the families whose lives were fractured by immigration services.
“Wasp” closed the show, a song written purposefully to follow “Bull Believer.” A screamo track, Hartzmen poured out the last of their energy. Earlier she’d commented that the band doesn’t do encores, and they kept their word.
Wednesday delivered a show that was intimate and raw. Their blend of southern grit and shoegaze haze left the crowd buzzing, even without that encore.
