Hotline TNT & Wednesday:
Indie Rock Excellence
There are certain shows where you walk into the venue and immediately feel something different in the air. There’s a type of kinetic catharsis that you feel is on the cusp of exploding, bursting into a unified verve of noise, bodies and anticipation. Walking into Brooklyn Steel this past week to see Hotline TNT and Wednesday was my most recent such experience. Wall to wall packed, people of all ages coming out to see some of the most exciting new acts in rock. This right here, this was something unique. And I was all in.
Hotline TNT and Wednesday are two bands who’ve been kicking around in their respective scenes for a few years, but 2023 proved to be a watershed moment for both groups. Insane internet buzz, and the release of my two favorite rock records of the year culminated in this being one of my most anticipated shows of 2024. Crazy to already have a live show peak in January - hopefully the rest of 2024 can match the hype.
I had the great fortune of seeing Hotline TNT this past October, heading a bill of New York indie acts courtesy of Rough Trade, a few weeks before the release of their sophomore album, and first for Third Man Records, Cartwheel. I even had a chance to talk to the project’s mastermind and frontman, Will Anderson, before the show (incredibly nice guy by the way), and he summed up his feelings on the band’s current situation in a pretty succinct and humble way: “We’re pretty stoked!” Cut to the night of this week’s show, and I’ve had a few months to turn over Cartwheel in my mind endless times - seriously, it is an incredibly catchy, neon-doused album of noise rock bliss and a true testament to Hotline TNT as the torch bearer of 90’s shoegaze/dream-pop revivalism. The Rough Trade show was elegant, but intimate. Brooklyn Steel, on the other hand, was maxed out. Fans filling every available niche of the venue to have their faces melted off and their ears set on fire. So let’s go.
Will and company took the stage and unleashed a salvo from the jump with Cartwheel opener and lead single “Protocol.” A hypnotic flurry of guitars built momentum to infinity until that cathartic drum crash brought the whole song home, and the soaring verses were sailing over the entire crowd. Following it up with album cuts “Son In Law” and the grandiose sing along “I Thought You’d Change,” it was clear that Will and his band didn’t come to fuck around. And much to my surprise, the rest of their set was a kaleidoscopic deep dive into their discography, with a few surprises thrown in. The Cartwheel barrage was flanked by early EP cuts like the tremendous “Trinity,” the lo-fi skronk of “Are U Faded?” and the pummeling and beautiful “Antonio.” Suddenly, the audience was instructed to “shake for Jake,” and as MJ Lenderman, Wednesday guitarist and wet grill empathizer, took the stage, the band launched into a high octane cover of Smashing Pumpkins’ “Quiet.” My jaw was on the floor.
A few more choice cuts followed, including my personal favorite Cartwheel track “History Channel,” before Hotline TNT closed with Nineteen in Love opener “Had 2 Try,” joined onstage by Wednesday frontwoman and chief songwriter Karly Hartzman. An apparent fan of the group and the song, Hartzman brought a nice counterpoint to Will Anderson as they duetted on the closing track, serving as a perfect bridge between the bands and a great final moment for Anderson and company. For all of their studio wizardry, Hotline TNT proves that they can muster up maelstroms just as wild and ferocious in the live setting.
And then it was Wednesday’s turn. A five-piece centered around Karly Hartzman as the primary songwriter, the group is filled out by MJ Lenderman on guitar and backing vocals, Alan Miller on drums, Ethan Baechtold on bass, and Xandy Chelmis on lap steel (so fucking cool). Their fifth full length, and first for Dead Oceans, Rat Saw God sits as my other tentpole of rock in 2023, and propelled Hartzman’s rootsy songs vignetting the American south to new heights of introspection, authenticity, and popularity. Rightfully so - Rat Saw God is a massive record, piled high with squalls of guitar scratch, full-throated screams, and melodious bliss amidst anecdotal tales of death, drugs, and the decline of the American dream. It’s a shit-kicking album, as down and out as it is in love with life’s idiosyncrasies, and every moment is a romantic gesture to the heavens on behalf of the human race. In the live setting, these odes take on a new life as mosh pit fuel and sing-alongs, in a way that’s authentically indie in every sense. It may have been a sold out crowd, but it felt like being in a steamy basement, caked in sweat and fermenting bedlam. High, high, high energy. So what’s up first?
The band kicked off the set with a lovingly intimate rendition of “Ghost of a Dog,” the closer to their third album Twin Plagues, before launching headfirst into “Hot Rotten Grass Smell,” an absolutely monstrous track full of dueling guitars and exploding drums. Felt a bit symbolic to start the show with the closer of their last album and the start of their new one, as if expelling whatever demons still hung around from the past record to make room for what’s next. The band also treated us to some sneak peaks at new songs, including third set track “Wound Up Here” and late show highlight “Townies.”
The downtempo “Formula One” followed some more Twin Plagues tracks (“Cody’s Only” and the title track), before Hartzman made one of many great asides: “This next song is about North Carolina, so if you’re not from there you might not get it.” To which Lenderman, serving as a nice foil, added, “But no matter where you’re from, we love you!” before the band launched into “Chosen to Deserve.” The most outwardly homage to FM country on Rat Saw God, and a perfect microcosm for the ethos of Wednesday as a whole, the song lauded major sing-along reactions from the crowd and even some wonderful fun energy from the band. Unbeknownst to me, this gig at Brooklyn Steel was their biggest sold out headlining show ever, and that vibe was palpable in the best way. Show highlight “She’s Acting Single (I’m Drinking Doubles),” a Gary Stewart cover from their great covers album Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling 'em Up, involved Karly hopping off stage and joining the crowd in the pit, mic in hand, complimenting the high energy verses with the dirge-like choruses, and audibly laughing along as the crowd swallowed her. It was a great moment, and showed the inherent hometown feeling that the band brings to any venue in any city. Hartzman even mentioned doing the same thing at the previous night’s show in Washington, D.C., noting how she “almost broke her fucking neck but kept singing, bitches!” How can you not root for them?
The band spent the rest of the show bouncing between tracks from Twin Plagues and Rat Saw God, including some of my favorites: “Turkey Vultures,” “Quarry,” “Got Shocked,” and the 2020 cut “Fate Is…,” from the band’s second album I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone, before Hartzman announced: “Alright guys, this is our last one, and it’s for real our last song because my voice gets destroyed after this.” We all knew what was next.
An early peak on Rat Saw God, and what may be the band’s best song, “Bull Believer” is a 9-minute frankenstein of a track, compiling sweet sing song choruses with bludgeoning guitar feedback and culminating in a 4 and a half minute scream showcase courtesy of Karly. It’s a truly tremendous song, combining the bloodthirsty activities of bullfighting, Mortal Kombat, and getting nosebleeds, and one that deserves its spot as the curtain closer. Dynamic, endearing, and full of release, by the song’s end the crowd was completely spent. I had the goofiest smile on my face; I was just happy to be in the room.
All of this is to say that the show rocked. Hotline TNT and Wednesday showed Brooklyn the virtuosity needed to stand out in the modern rock landscape, and how bands like this can still be loud, unapologetic, and catchy, and how that can bring them legions of loyal fans from every corner. Listen to Cartwheel, listen to Rat Saw God, please go see them if they’re in your area, you will not regret it and you will feel lucky to exist in the same time as these twin flames of rock brilliance. I definitely do. And I cannot wait to see what’s next.
