As Waxahatchee, Katie Crutchfield weaves a tapestry of evocative Americana from disparate musical strands; shades of anti-folk and alt-rock lay over a solid foundation of country.
It’s the epitome of the genre in 2025 and you can see the appeal of this stylistic patchwork across her audience too; maxi skirts paired with hiking sandals, broderie anglaise and gingham dresses over turned-up jeans, and breezy floral prints under rigid denim jackets. Her blend of heart-and-mind-music inspires a unique freedom of expression.
Lyrically, her songs are literary and dense, romantic but unsentimental, while her delivery is poetically conversational; it’s raw but controlled.
Having played a sold out show at Glasgow’s QMU only 11 months ago, it was a gamble for Waxahatchee to return to the city so soon, and to a much bigger venue, within the same album cycle but demand is still growing for the artist who has been on a fresh career trajectory since the release of her 2020 album “Saint Cloud”. Taking to the Barrowland’s stage with an almost identical set of songs – the entirety of her latest GRAMMY-nominated release, “Tigers Blood”, most of “Saint Cloud” and 3 songs from her Plains collaboration with Jess Williamson – there was every possibility the night could fall flat for both band and audience, many of whom had danced this dance already. Fortunately, a Waxahatchee gig is more than the sum of its parts.
The early crowd were treated to an assured opening set by Pittsburgh native, Merce Lemon. Her mellow but mature indie rock is reminiscent of Lucy Dacus, or Soccer Mommy’s quieter moments but her melodic sense, especially on “Rain” and “Backyard Lover”, bears an uncanny likeness to the melancholic contours of Adam Torres. Any which way you hear her, Lemon is a heady breath of fresh air.
Opening with the same 1-2-3 as “Tigers Blood”, Waxahatchee emphasised not only how fantastic each of these songs is, but also how well structured the album itself is. “3 Sisters” is one of the most unexpectedly infectious earworms in her catalogue while the Petty-esque roll and chug of “Evil Spawn” gets every body loosened up. It’s a very casual kind of dance party and Crutchfield commands the energy with such ease; whether she’s tethered to her microphone stand centre stage, seated cooly to the side as a guitar solo rips, or strutting back and forth with her acoustic guitar, she captivates.
Complicated relationships, self-doubt and resignation run throughout songs like “Hell” and “Burns Out At Midnight” but there’s hints of joy and optimism too. “Oxbow” remains a stand out, as does “Lilacs” which receives the loudest cheer of the night. A potent cover of Kathleen Edwards’ “Six O’Clock News” – a song at the thematic intersection of mental health, gun culture and policing – is devastatingly prescient, as emotionally fraught and vividly tragic as anything the genre has to offer. Its pain juxtaposes with “Tigers Blood”, a song laced with such ripe and unfiltered nostalgia that it feels like a favourite childhood movie, the wholesome nature of which has become more idealised with every passing year to the point that it subtly defines a generation. Give it time.
After a brief respite the band plays a genuine encore, closing out with “Fire”. Crutchfield gradually builds the song up into a train-like momentum that will not be stopped, eventually leaving the band to play it out with the crowd clapping along, a propulsive energy sending them willingly into the rainy night.
Words and pictures: Kendall Wilson @softcrowclassic