The Upcoming
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Cinema & Tv
      • Movie reviews
      • Film festivals
      • Shows
    • Food & Drinks
      • News & Features
      • Restaurant & bar reviews
      • Interviews & Recipes
    • Literature
    • Music
      • Live music
    • Theatre
  • Fashion & Lifestyle
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
  • What’s On
    • Art exhibitions
    • Theatre shows
  • Tickets
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
  • Special events
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureMusicLive music

Waxahatchee at Rough Trade East

Waxahatchee at Rough Trade East | Live review
5 July 2013
Francis Davies
Avatar
Francis Davies
5 July 2013

Waxahatchee appeared at Rough Trade East on 2nd July to play a free gig that was good overall but ultimately highlighted problems with the band’s music, which lacks impact when performed live.

A fairly standard alternative rock act, Waxahatchee’s sound has a very certain kind of tone that seems to have its roots in earlier times, vaguely reminiscent of what might happen if the Pixies were to be combined with No Doubt but with better lyrics. At their concert, there were some nice shifts between intensity and softness that don’t come across in the recorded versions of the songs. Katie Crutchfield is a talented lyricist with a good voice and this was apparent throughout the show. Songs like Noccalula and American Weekend received a grungy, heavier overhaul, which contributed well to the alternating highs and lows of the overall performance. Arguably those songs benefitted from such tweaks because they clearly energised the room, which is always important for a live audience.

However, the music itself weighed the show down like an anchor. It was overly simplistic, mostly driven by repetitive slamming tom-tom and snare drum rhythms, with incredibly basic guitar and bass lines. Brother Bryan illustrated this perfectly: the lyrical competence and good vocals clashed with an utterly bland background. It really sounded like all the band’s efforts had gone into the words, leaving very little to the music itself. In addition to this, any fans hoping for a “pure” experience might have felt that the heavier live reworking was too significant a departure from the recorded tracks. Continuous melancholy and stage energy is not an easy balance to achieve by any means. 

In the end the music let the vocals and the lyrics down – not enough was done with it originally and for that reason it dragged a good thing down into mediocrity. Sadly no amount of live alteration could save this performance, although their attempt to adapt the music did make all the difference. It was an enjoyable show but also served to draw attention to the pre-existing problems with Waxahatchee’s music.

★★★★★

Francis Davies

For further information and future events visit Waxahatchee’s website here.

 Watch the video for Grass Stain here:

Related Itemslive musicreview

More in Live music

Bicep at Saatchi Gallery Online

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More

Laura Mvula – Under a Pink Moon

★★★★★
Sylvia Unerman
Read More

Tom Grennan live in concert – online

★★★★★
Georgie Cowan-Turner
Read More

The Cinematic Orchestra at the Southbank Centre

★★★★★
Dan Meier
Read More

Vienna New Year’s Day Concert at the Musikverein

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More

Rufus, Martha and Lucy Wainwright Present: A Not So Silent Night “Virtually Together”

★★★★★
Francis Nash
Read More

Pete Tong and the Heritage Orchestra: Ibiza Classics – O Come All Ye Ravers at the O2 Arena Online

★★★★★
Dan Meier
Read More

Courtney Barnett live from the Royal Exhibition Building Melbourne

★★★★★
Georgie Cowan-Turner
Read More

Gorillaz: Song Machine Live

★★★★★
Sylvia Unerman
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap
  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • I’m Your Man (Ich bin dein Mensch)
    ★★★★★
    Berlinale
  • Black Bear
    ★★★★★
    Glasgow
  • Celebrate International Women’s Day with a Bombay Sapphire Cocktails & Create masterclass
    Food & Drinks
  • Spotlight: Lauren Everet and Soup Kitchen London, striving for food security and social equality
    Food & Drinks
  • Bicep at Saatchi Gallery Online
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • “At school, I always asked myself what my teachers were really like as human beings”: Director Maria Speth on Mr Bachmann and His Class
    Berlinale
  • Voice of Silence
    ★★★★★
    Glasgow
  • Delectible drinks that would make the perfect Mother’s Day gift
    Food & Drinks
  • The Dissident
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • “I am not the kind of actor who is really interested in mimicry”: Tom Schilling on Fabian – Going to the Dogs
    Berlinale
  • The Dissident
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (Guzen to sozo)
    ★★★★★
    Berlinale
  • Moxie
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Souad
    ★★★★★
    Berlinale
  • We (Nous)
    ★★★★★
    Berlinale
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Bold Tendencies 2013 at Peckham Multi-Storey Car Park | Exhibition review
elBulli: Ferran Adrià and the Art of Food at Somerset House | Exhibition review