A Friday in March turned into a Wednesday that Milwaukee will cherish forever.
In Turner Hall Ballroom, the North Carolina-based band Wednesday put on an unforgettable show for a sold-out crowd. Touring in support of their latest album, Bleeds, Wednesday’s momentum is indisputable. Bleeds patches together the best elements of shoegaze, indie, hard rock and twangy alternative-country, skillfully blending their soundscapes with soulful, evocative lyrics detailing the minutiae of life in the American South.
Though their music is great to listen to no matter the day of the week, their concert was an experience to behold, a striking reminder of the importance of creativity, community and the power of live music.
Opening band Gouge Away from Fort Lauderdale primed the audience for the night of music, moshing and screaming ahead with their set. Bathed in deep blue lights, fronted by Christina Michelle, the band packed a punch with heavy, gritty guitar, hypnotizing bass lines and thunderous drums. Their set contained a handful of songs from their 2024 release, Deep Sage, including the opening number “Idealized,” “Maybe Blue” and “Dallas,” a slower, more solemn track that had the audience swaying. For the final song of their opening set, “The Sharpening,” Michelle urged the audience to open up a pit, a request to which they were more than happy to oblige. At the end of their 10-song, 45-minute set, the energy in the room was palpable.
During the set change, large frames with illustrations by Ontario-based artist Kamila Mlynarczyk, better known as “Woodedwoods” stood on display. Her unmistakable style is at once deeply off-putting yet somehow cute, creating the perfect tension between whimsy and horror; it only makes sense that her work also serves as the album cover for Bleeds. People pointed and exclaimed with delight as the stage was adorned with little trinkets and figures, a jack-in-the-box, antique dolls, plush toys and warm-toned lamps with rustic shades.
The lights dimmed and the packed room buzzed as a tapestry of Mlynarczyk’s cover art and floral wallpaper was unfurled as a backdrop, creating an atmosphere that was cozy, intimate, homely, yet tinged with something subtly sinister. The band filed on stage, opening up their set with “Reality TV Argument Bleeds.” The crowd wasted no time bringing the energy as the band brought the intensity with their big sound.
Frontwoman Karly Hartzman, on vocals and guitar, was joined on stage by Allen Miller on drums, Xandy Chlemis on the lap steel and pedal steel, bassist Ethan Baechtold and the most recent addition to their touring band, Spyder Pugh on guitar. The quintet performed with a quiet confidence and polished poise that has been years in the making, but maintained their rough-around-the-edges feel, making for a raw, captivating and deeply resonant experience.
For the eighth song of the set, “How Can You Live If You Can’t Love How Can You If You Do,” the band slowed it down. Taking in the moment, the audience basked in the blue light emanating from the stage. Lovers clung to each other, friends put their heads on each other’s shoulders, swaying in tune with the mellow track. The pink satin ribbon tied to the neck of Hartzman’s guitar, completely covered in buttons, seemed to dance as she strummed and sang.
About halfway through the set, the band performed a cover of Gary Stewart’s “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin Double),” which appears on their album Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling ‘em Up, a compilation of studio-recorded covers. By playing into their strengths, led by Hartzman’s soaring vocals, Wednesday made the song completely their own. From the floor to the balcony, the audience sang along with fervor and danced to the tune.
Hartzman has never been shy about her Southern heritage. Between songs, she surveyed the crowd, asking if anyone was from there. A few hands raised and she pointed playfully, demanding where from. “That’s random as hell!” She quipped after a few audience members named what cities they were from, her charming southern drawl discernible. “This one’s kind of about North Carolina,” she said, before launching into “Quarry.” The upbeat, punchy track had the audience fired up as people moshed and danced.
Switching gears, Hartzman invited the crowd to sing along to “Elderberry Wine,” the lead single for Bleeds. A bold departure from their 2023 album Rat Saw God, the track itself falls more under the broad indie umbrella, characterized by Hartzman’s light, sweet, airy vocals and catchy guitar riffs. The song offered some reprieve from the heavy rock and sweaty moshing as the audience bopped along to the catchy tune. Since its release in May of 2025, the song has become the band’s most popular to date. Hartzman’s voice was barely audible over the audience as they sang along.
Before their penultimate song, “Bull Believer,” Hartzman prefaced it with this: “I scream for about 30 seconds at the end of this song. I would like to scream with the sentiment fuck ICE.” As the song swelled, reaching its conclusion, it was hard not to get slack-jawed at Hartzman’s absolutely gripping vocals. Any passerby would think someone inside was dying. The sheer weight of the agony and rage was tangible as the audience screamed with her for a collectively cathartic emotional finale.
The band closed out the evening with “Wasp,” another one of Hartzman’s throat-shredders. They didn’t need an encore for the audience to give the band everything they had left. People moshed with wild abandon, causing the floor to shake. It was visceral, culminating in a moment bigger than everyone in the room. The interplay between the band and the audience was truly something special to witness throughout the entire set, but this epic conclusion solidified Wednesday as a band meant to be seen, heard and experienced live.
The band is set to wrap up this leg of the tour in April, making their Coachella debut before heading to New Zealand and Australia, then playing a handful of summer dates in June before going to Europe for a handful of festivals in August. They are also supporting Tyler Childers on tour throughout July, September and October.
Even if Wednesday isn’t your favorite day of the week, they just might become your next favorite band.
Catch them if you can in a city near you: here
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Setlist:
“Reality TV Argument Bleeds”
“Got Shocked”
“Fate Is…”
“Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)”
“Hot Rotten Grass Smell”
“Candy Breath”
“One More Last One”
“How Can You Live If You Can’t Love How Can You If You Do”
“Phish Pepsi”
“Quarry”
“She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinking Doubles)”
“Gary’s II”
“Bath County”
“Pick Up That Knife”
“Elderberry Wine”
“Bitter Everyday”
“Townies”
“Bull Believer”
“Wasp”
