Wednesday at the Roundhouse

Wednesday

Bleary Eyed

Roundhouse, 25 February 2026

I finally saw my favourites Wednesday again at their biggest ever show at the Roundhouse and the crowd absolutely went wild for them, as they celebrated their most recent album, Bleeds.

I've been patiently waiting to see Wednesday again after they blew me away at their Scala show back in 2024. I was lucky enough to catch Karly Hartzman doing a solo instore at Rough Trade last year, so I can't complain, but when they announced a full band tour I couldn't get tickets fast enough. 

Initially though this London date was supposed to be at the far smaller Electric Ballroom and when it was upgraded to the Roundhouse due to the band's growing popularity (indeed it did sell out at the bigger venue too), I can't deny I was disappointed.  It would have been great to have seen them at a smaller venue one last time, but what can you do when a band is on the rise. It's clear people have discovered how good they are and I am lucky I at least caught them before they exploded.

I arrived early but there was already a small queue, again such a difference to the Scala show a couple of years back, but fortunately did got a pretty good spot at the front. This was especially necessary tonight, as I had viewed footage of their other UK dates and saw the crowds going pretty wild, and even a few mosh pits forming, so having a barrier to hold onto was a must tonight. 

I love a punctual band, so I was immediately endeared to support band Bleary Eyed when they actually turned up on stage a couple of minutes early. With the backing track playing a kind of electronic, swirl of dancey drumbeats and strange noises, it was clear this Philadelphia band is hugely by My Bloody Valentine, and my suspicions were confirmed when they started to play. And like MBV, who funnily enough I had once seen at the Roundhouse too, they were incredibly loud, with lots of fuzzy, distorted guitars creating cool and atmospheric soundscapes. 

The first couple of songs were definitely bonafide shoegaze songs, but later they seemed to also veer into more punky and grungy territory, with lots of bone-shaking riffing going on. Some of the songs featured frontman and guitarist Nathaniel Salfi on lead vocals with fellow guitarist Margot Whipps providing breathy backing vocals and harmonies, adding to the lush dreamy feel to their songs, but there were also a few where Margot sang lead and it was fun to see the interplay between them.

Both Salfi and Whipps wore glasses and I did wonder if that's where the band name came from, but I hugely enjoyed their set and they were definitely a good fit with Wednesday. They said that the band had been hugely encouraging to them during this tour, telling them every night, "you can do it!" which was actually quite lovely.

Salfi was the one who told us that this show was actually Wednesday's biggest show, not just in the UK, but ever. Although they had a big backdrop with the album cover, it did feel before they came on stage that they weren't used to shows this size, as the stage almost looked too small for the big stage. Of course when they came on and started playing that was completely forgotten.

The band all took their places before Karly Hartzman herself emerged to big cheers, which kind of demonstrates just how much more well known she's become in the past couple of years. At the Scala show she even set up her own equipment with most people barely noticing but, even though the other band members still did this at this show (with help of course), it was clear Hartzman couldn't do that now.

She did look great though, wearing an almost Cyndi Lauper-esque ensemble of handkerchief skirt and a big buttoned sleeveless top over a lace vest, with her hair neatly tied back. On top of this she was actually wearing heels! Quite high ones too but by the second or third song she had abandoned them and put on black loafers instead, even sometimes performing in her bare feet (something she later joked about to the crowd).  

The set began with the noisy but arresting Reality TV Argument Bleeds , the first track on the new album, which did make me wonder if they would just play the record all the way through, and although they didn't end up doing this, instead peppering lots of songs from Rat Saw God throughout (and even one, just one measly song!, from their first album - Fate Is - and none from Twin Plagues), I think they actually did play every song from the album by the end.

Hartzman was obviously in a great mood and was smiley and talkative throughout, afterall not only was it their biggest show, it was the last show of the European tour too. I think she talked more at this show than any I've seen her at before, which was nice and it was good to see her so happy (she did say at the Rough Trade instore that she had a complicated relationship with London and apparently Wednesday's first ever London show was not an enjoyable affair for the band for some reason). The crowd clearly loved her though and it was funny (in a good way) to see quite a few younger female fans wearing black lipstick like the one Hartzman herself often wears (although not tonight!).

More soon...