Review: Wednesday and MJ Lenderman at The Rechabite

Wednesday and MJ Lenderman at The Rechabite
Tuesday, February 27, 2024

On their first trip down under, indie-rockers Wednesday lit up the Rechabite Hall with an explosion of heartfelt lyrics and raw punkish energy to an adoring crowd. The gig, part of Perth Festival 2024, was the last stop on the group’s Australian tour and capped off a whirlwind year for the band, which saw the critical success of their fifth LP, Rat Saw God, launch the band into a new level of media attention and fame. 

Support on the night came from a likely source, MJ Lenderman, the solo project of Wednesday guitarist and singer-songwriter Jake Lenderman, who arguably could have had his own show, particularly after the success and numerous best-of-year list placings the group's Boat Songs received in 2022. In recognition of this, proceedings started early at 7.15pm, which allowed both acts to get full sets in. 

As a result, the venue was only half full as the first note was sounded, but this did nothing to dissuade Lenderman and his band from giving their all. The band actually seems most happy in the live environment, as the tracks on the group’s 2023 live album And The Wind (Live and Loose!) often step into a world of their own when compared to their studio brethren, and this was certainly also the case in the flesh. The band was ridiculously tight, moving through each track’s catchy melodies and fuzzy guitar riffs with aplomb, with Jake’s earthy, rich vocals delivering his trademark witty and poignant lyrics with a sweet sincerity. 

Wednesday front person Karly Hartzman's vocal accompaniment was an early highlight, while the reflective Catholic Priest was perhaps the set’s most tender moment with its plaintive opening lyric, “I wanted to be a Catholic priest; I would never have to worry about the girls tryin' to break my heart,” setting the confessional mood of the song. Elsewhere, the swing of new song Rip Torn, which MJ Lenderman explained is not actually about the actor but more about because he likes how both words mean the same thing, showed off the act’s more country-side, while set finale Tastes Just Like It Costs was a rocking finish to a near-perfect set.

After a short break, Wednesday took the stage, and with the majority of the group still warm from playing in MJ Lenderman’s band, they wasted no time getting down to business and rocking. After finishing the dynamic grunge-rocker Hot Rotten Grass Smell, Hartzman got the audience to give it up for steel-pedal player Zandy Chelmis, who was enjoying rocking out after just that afternoon having to have his instrument seen to following its arrival in Perth in more than one piece. Chelmis’ accompaniment for both Wednesday and MJ Lenderman was particularly noticeable due to his technical proficiency and his ability to find space in each piece to texture accordingly. It would be hard to imagine both acts performing without his presence. 

A quieter moment and change of pace in the set was Formula One, while the whimsical country rodeo of Chosen to Deserve washed over the expectant audience with its lush, glorious twang. The band threw a couple of new songs in the mix, all of which Hartzman advised the audience that “we’re going to record these songs in just a month’s time.” One particular standout of these new songs was called Reality TV, which featured a stuttering guitar intro and choruses that verged on scream territory. 

Lenderman and Hartzman then got some old interstate rivalry going by stating, “We haven't seen any moshing yet; does Perth mosh?” advising us, with cheeky grins, that they were told in Tasmania that Perthians just don’t know how to. To put the question to the test, the group dove into the very moshable Quarry, letting those up near the barrier crash and sway into one another in support of both the music and parochialism.

The band finished off with the first single of their most recent release, the epic seven-minute rocker Bull Believer. Before commencing the track, Hartzman advised the crowd that the song would be their last for the night and encouraged them all to join her in the track’s carthartic screamed outro. Many took up this offer, resulting in a glorious moment of feedback, howls and dissonance throughout the venue to end the set. 

Both Wednesday and MJ Lenderman proved there might just be something in the water in Asheville, North Carolina, with their first visit to our shores. And given both groups' dedication to their craft, it is hard not to imagine that we will be seeing and hearing more from them in the very near future.

MICHAEL HOLLICK

Photos by M Richardson