6th November 2023
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It’s not often that I get to go to gigs with my Dad. Our tastes in music, whilst overarchingly similar have split down some different trails. So finding common ground is a relief. Enter the musical talents of Katie Crutchfield, a.k.a. Waxahatchee; a country-rock singer-songwriter whose career has been on the up and up since her 2020 album release ‘Saint Cloud’. Now, I can’t honestly say any flavour of country music was really my thing until somewhat recently. And I certainly didn’t expect it to be his. So there was a decent level of surprise when I first found out he had actually heard of Crutchfield’s outfit (wonders never cease) and would indeed be up for seeing them live. Gig booked then and there, one to look forward to.
Six months pass and we’re standing in the recently renamed ‘Electric Bristol’ (I feel strongly that SWX had more of a something to it) with pints in hand, waiting patiently for the arrival of this most unexpected middle ground of ours.
Bar a brief hello, an even sparser goodbye and some intermediate jockeying when switching guitars between songs, Waxahatchee did not present much beyond their songs. This is to say, the band don’t mess around. On paper, a recorded total of twenty four tracks jutted out over a mere hour and a half might seem like a rush. Yet, the minimal breaks between tunes actually brought about the opposite feeling. Instead of an artist hurrying to paint their picture in time for the last bus (or a trip to the pub, who knows), we were treated to a particularly spirited oeuvre which shone a relaxing shade of amber.
Therein lies a certain sense of logic and learning in the tunes Waxahatchee puts across. A seasoned outfit now, far from the reckless emotion of previous albums. Peace and a hindsight view of the past was put across in the set’s opener ‘3 Sisters’. Lines like “It plays on my mind, how the time passing/Covers you like a friend” and “Try to justify and scrape by/I was always the one unsteady” speak to a clearer, more stable vision of the relationships that help define you.
You could sense an element of catharsis involved in the performance of these tracks. Without addressing the crowd much yet delivering with full force in the set, you could see Crutchfield and Co. vanquishing the demons they so strongly put across with every note.
The energy was picked up with songs like “Ice Cold”, “Six O’Clock News” (A Kathleen Edwards number) and my personal favourite, “Crowbar”. “Right Back To It”, a tune destined for a place in the halls of country’s newfound resurgence brought about a smooth shimmer, almost melancholic.
While the band’s instrumentation has clear inspirations from previous greats, Lucinda Williams comes to mind, Waxahatchee’s penmanship in the lyrics seems to come completely from her own mind. A quick look at Spotify to sing along presents a level of depth I hadn’t realised at first, but which stands out when noticed. They’re relatable whilst still being entirely individual, confident and enigmatic without being over the top. If Crutchfield ever decides to leave the music scene, she’s got a home in poetry.
But just as all good things must come to an end, so must the gig. Waxahatchee seem confident in the new era they have created, and so they should. ‘Saint Cloud’ marks the cutoff for the earliest tunes they play, with twelve songs from the 2024 release ‘Tigers Blood’ and a decent majority from the aforementioned album. Throw in a cover or two and even an unreleased track, and you end up with a delightfully seamless run which sees consistency as its mantra.
Waxahatchee performed live as part of NPR Music’s ‘Tiny Desk’ series. Watch it on YouTube here!
To read more on Music, click here.
All images featured belong to Lewis Webb.
