Wednesday Bring Bleeds to Wellington’s San Fran
You know you’ve been to a great gig when you won’t shut up about it for the
following week.
It’s been a while since I was last at a sold-out San Fran show, you easily forget how 400 people packed
into a room actually feels and looks – it’s epic. Particularly for gigs like Wednesday, you’re surrounded by
a whole range of genuinely cool individuals, half of whom immediately begin moshing as the band takes
the stage. Their entire performance showcases why their shows across Aotearoa sell out.
With the release of Bleeds, Wednesday has stepped into a new era, one that feels bigger, heavier, and
more self-assured than anything they’ve done before. The record, described by Karly Hartzman as the
“spiritual successor” to Rat Saw God, pushes their signature blend of shoegaze distortion and Southern
storytelling even further, sharpening the band’s now unmistakable “countrygaze” sound.
This is one of those bands where you wish you could say “I’ve been listening for years”, but like many
others, I caught wind of them through the infamous track ‘Elderberry Wine’. If you’re looking for another
song to add to a road trip playlist, I would certainly recommend this track. It’s easy to understand why this has become such a successful track and a pathway that guides listeners to a whole new realm of music. The track balances hazy shoegaze distortion with an almost nostalgic style of storytelling, creating something that feels both chaotic and strangely comforting simultaneously. So as my obsession with this band began to peak, they arrived in perfect timing, announcing their three-stop tour across Aotearoa.
On show day, I somehow ended up running into Karly Hartzman at Flying Nun Records. It took me a
minute to work up the courage to say hi, but once we started talking, I realised she’s one of the most
down-to-earth people I’ve ever met. The biggest thing I took away from our conversation was when she
said, “Music collectives are so important for a good music scene.” Coming from someone involved with
North Carolina collective Julia’s War – something Glasshead looks up to so heavily – that really stuck with
me. It felt reassuring to hear someone I admire put into words the same sense of community and
collaboration that inspires what we’re trying to build, too.
Kicking off the night with local Wellington favourite, Mudgoose, I don’t think they could have chosen a
better opener for this show. The two acts blended so well, yet still had striking hints of difference, with
Mudgoose’s performance showcasing loud and unruly versions of his tracks, my personal favourite,
‘White Denim Jesus.’ I’ve seen these guys perform only a handful of times before, but I firmly believe
there is no other band like them, especially within Wellington. My favourite thing about the New Zealand
(NZ) music scene is the sense of community. You could genuinely feel Pōneke come together to support
one of our favourites landing such an exciting slot.
One thing I took away from Wednesday’s performance was the immediate urge to tell people about it
afterwards, and I doubt I was the only one. The moment they stepped onto the stage at San Fran, the
entire room seemed to shift; everyone became utterly fixated and in awe of their sound, especially as half
the space was filled with a bunch of local musicians. The thing that gets me the most, not just from their
performance but every time I listen to them, is Karly Hartzman’s raw vocals and lyrics.
There was nothing overly polished about the set, which is exactly what made it so special. Every song felt alive, unpredictable, and emotionally charged. The band had this ability to make San Fran feel both
enormous and incredibly small at the same time, like you were experiencing something deeply personal
alongside hundreds of other people. I noticed that Wednesday doesn’t perform with the detached
coolness a lot of indie bands lean into; there’s a real emotional honesty to what they do and how they
present themselves as a band. That honesty is what makes their music resonate so deeply, especially in
a room full of musicians and people involved in Wellington’s local scene.
Their performance embodied everything that makes independent music so important. It didn’t feel like you were watching this big international act but rather connected as a music community, something I think was largely due to Mudgoose being the perfect fit to open the show. I truly feel so privileged to be running around San Fran, with my little Fujifilm, able to witness the 400+ people enjoying the night. Whether it was the girls at the back dancing by the merch stand, or the group of young local musicians moshing to every song. You could especially see the influence this band has on those people in the front row, matching Karly with their dark lipstick and heavily accessorised outfits.
– Evie Thomson