Concert Review: Wednesday | Globe Iron | 11.19.2025

The band Wednesday played Cleveland’s Globe Iron on Wednesday night. Yes, that’s right, Wednesday on a Wednesday. Queue the puns. (Queue the confusion, too!)

Wednesday is currently touring in support of their recently released, critically acclaimed album, ‘Bleeds.’ The album has gone over so well that most of the set consisted of songs from it, the band playing 3/4 of the album over the course of the evening, showing an impressive blend of heartfelt lyrics and eclectic musical styles.

People who have only listened to the albums might be surprised when lead singer Karly Hartzman goes beyond the country / indie shoegaze roots and starts to get a bit wild on stage, the initial signs of which started from the third song, “Fate Is...” During the little jam breaks that bordered on noise rock, Hartzman would belt out a small scream into the mic. These were the first inklings of what makes Wednesday rise above the currently oversaturated indie music scene.

That uniqueness is also shown in how fast the band has gained a following in recent years. “It’s nice to be here. It wasn’t that long ago that we were playing the basement of Mahall’s to nine people,” Hartzman said early in the set to the packed 1200 capacity venue.

Hartzman’s banter was a hit throughout the night. She mentioned local favorites like Banana Blossom Thai restaurant and Westside Market, eliciting cheers each time. But what was most endearing was her, and thus the band’s, aw-shucks honesty. She often would get a little flustered during songs, mentioning at one point how comfortable they were on stage, to the point where she would forget she was playing a concert. She also, to raucous applause after every item, rattled off the shopping list of pedal steel player Xandy Chelmis.

Early in the set, there was talk of a possible mosh pit and crowd surfing, which seemed a bit unbelievable, given the genre, but sure enough, one eventually broke out. In keeping with the band’s nature, Hartzman let the audience know beforehand that if they wanted to mosh, they should do so in the center, and if they didn’t, maybe move to the side. Oh, and she made care to caution concert goers to take care of each other. The moshing was driven by Ethan Baechtold’s thumping bass and Alan Miller’s drums on “Toothache.” It was yet another moment where they really rose above the typical indie band.

At one point, Hartzman invited lead singer Gabi Gamberg from opening band Daffo on stage to sing “Phish Pepsi,” the two sharing the clever lyrics. Gabi took over for MJ Lenderman, who is no longer touring with the band after his own mega-successful solo release. Filling the lead-guitar shoes left by Lenderman’s absence was Jake Pugh.

Then came their latest fan-favorite, “Elderberry Wine,” which is currently inescapable on college radio. Chelmis’ pedal steel on songs like these seemed to be a fan favorite, and for good reason. The pedal steel elevated the band’s sound during the more country-sounding songs, like “Formula One,” but surprisingly, during the jam-outs as well. This was especially true on “Pick Up That Knife,” which had moments reminiscent of an Allman Brothers song at first, but then Miller’s drums kicked in and the song changed into something entirely different, as Hartzman screamed the ending line, “They’ll meet you outside, they’ll meet you outside,” on repeat. Once again, she impressed with her amazing vocal talent.

The peak of this exhibition of vocal talent came during the standout song amongst standout songs. That was the penultimate song, “Bull Believer.” An unusually long song for a band with short songs in general, it ended with screams that came from somewhere primal. Hartzman braced the audience before the song, saying she likes to set an intent for the scream at the end, to scream on behalf of other people, so she doesn’t have to go to such a dark personal place five nights a week. Wednesday night’s scream was on behalf of the people suffering from the ICE raids in North Carolina, where the band is from, and you could feel that raw emotion.

The band doesn’t play encores, as Hartzman explained in a not entirely clear manner, but it seemed to be just a desire to get rid of the charade, which is understandable. The night seemed to fly by, probably because of the brevity of the songs and the wide range of genres, but also just because they’re such an entertaining band to watch live. They’re currently at the top of their game, from lyrics to tightness as a band. Everyone should check them out on this tour.