Wednesday @ Soundwell 10.20.2025

Wednesday gave a thrilling performance at the Soundwell. Photo: Moses Namkung

Concert

Another alt-music darling arrived in SLC last Monday morning, and how lucky we are. Wednesday’s rise to fame has been more of a creep than an unexpected shot straight into the air, something you could see on a graph as an eventuality — a “when” and not an “if.” Their 2023 release Rat Saw God and continued collaboration with alt-country shooting star MJ Lenderman both guaranteed the group’s widespread acclaim, cemented by this year’s album Bleeds, which already lives among many outlets’ best-of-the-year lists.

Wednesday is ultimately lead singer and guitarist Karly Hartzman’s through and through. It’s evident in every second of her performance, leaning close into the microphone to gently croon and pulling away to shriek loud enough to be heard on the sidewalk outside of Soundwell’s walls. Hartzman’s performance was, in my estimation, one of the best I’ve seen all year. It was hard for me to fathom how someone could manage driving guitar riffs and yelling at the top of their lungs continuously without breaking a sweat.

Wednesday was joined by local act Starr 67 and Philadelphia’s melancholy baritone outfit Friendship. Like Wednesday, Friendship’s popularity has grown incrementally and saw the biggest rise with their 2022 record Love the Stranger, which showcased lead singer Dan Wriggins’ signature gravelly and tender vocals along with the group’s talent at crafting expansive and winding songs that make your heart ache. Their newest release Caveman Wakes Up has continued in a similar direction with standout tracks like “Tree of Heaven” and crowd favorite “Resident Evil.” Wriggins would later join Hartzman on stage to cover Big Star’s “September Gurls” in a fun and tender duet.

The entire set culminated into a showcase of somber longing, shared joy and vulnerable rage, displaying the best that alt-country and indie rock have to offer.