WEDNESDAY DELIVERS A FEROCIOUS NIGHT AT BROOKLYN BOWL NASHVILLE
BROOKLYN BOWL — NASHVILLE, TN
Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl welcomed Wednesday to the stage on March 15, bringing along Gouge Away to open up the show.
Gouge Away, from South Florida, carries a heavy punk rock sound with influences from Jesus Lizard, Sonic Youth, and Nirvana. The woman-fronted band holds close ties to Wednesday, as this is not their first time hitting the road with them.
Led by singer Christina Michelle, the band immediately piqued the crowd’s interest with her screaming punk vocals and the raw sound of her backing band. Opening the show with “Idealized” gave the crowd a good taste of how this band feeds off the energy in the room.
As their set continued, the crowd got more involved, with mosh pits breaking out and fans screaming alongside Michelle. The band’s dynamic playing and the way they fed off one another gave the audience a real sense of how naturally they perform together on and off stage.
Next to the stage were none other than Wednesday’s dolls and trinkets, taking their rightful spots before the band came on.
Wednesday began their set with the title track from their new album, Reality TV Argument Bleeds. The sound-building intro really set off the rest of the night, sending the crowd into movement, jumping, and head-bopping through the setlist.
The mix of Karly Hartzman’s voice, with the occasional southern twang breaking through, paired perfectly with the steel lap guitar pouring out long licks. Hartzman always knows the right time to use her voice on stage to express breakup feelings, as well as the experience of growing up in the South.
From heavy steel lap focus to subtle, rhythmic poetic lyrics complementing the strums of Hartzman’s guitar, Wednesday’s sound constantly shifted in a way that kept the crowd locked in. The steel lap guitar paired perfectly with Hartzman’s voice, and the band’s plethora of pedals created an immersive experience that made fans feel like they were hearing the true album recording brought to life on stage.
All of these genre-bending mashups lead to immediate intrigue about what this band is capable of.
As the show went on, crowds filled the pit with energetic mosh pits, circling one another while vibrant beams of light shone down on fans’ faces. The crowd never let up on the energy they expressed for the love of the band and its songs, continuously singing and screaming along to the lyrics.
Hartzman mentioned that this time around on tour, they’re revisiting a lot of venues they opened at years ago and are now headlining. “It’s fucking awesome because we worked our butts off,” she said.
This band knows how to put on a solid, genre-bending concert. Wednesday hits so many different musical marks throughout the show that it surely leaves you wanting more.
Their tour continues through July, hitting most major U.S. cities. It’s a show you cannot miss and is worth changing your plans to make it.
