It’s a Monday night, but the pubs around Oval Space are heaving, as this little corner of London gets ready to welcome Waxahatchee.
Tonight is the first gig of the tour, and with it comes a new support. Ex-Void might be dressed in matching pastel, but their tunes are certainly not tranquil. Led by Alanna McArdle and Owen Williams, former members of the now defunct pop-punk group Joanna Gruesome, they make vital and viscious music that ricochets around the warehouse. Treating us to a short set, they blast through tunes including recent single Boyfriend.
Waxahatchee enter the stage whilst the sun is setting outside. Katie Crutchfield is seems genuinely happy to be joined by her band, and the five piece elevate solo tunes to bold songs. Symphonic and aggressive, they play from across the outfits four albums, American Weekend (2012), Cerulean Salt (2013), Ivy Tripp (2015), and Out in the Storm (2017). Never Been Wrong, Sparks Fly and Poison get some rapturous response. The encore is a muted affair, with Alison playing three songs on her guitar, including a new one.
And So She Thinks 