The past few years have been a rollercoaster for the American band Waxahatchee. The group (fronted by founder and lead singer Katie Crutchfield) released their fifth album St. Cloud on March 27, 2020, just as the world entered lockdown. St. Cloud was a radical departure in sound for Waxahatchee. They dropped the lo-fi indie rock sound of their previous records, instead drawing inspiration from country music. This change in sound was in part due to chief songwriter Katie Crutchfield experiencing burnout from touring. This led to a struggle with alcoholism. Crutchfield retreated to the music of her youth for solace, finding newfound inspiration in the music of artists such as Lucinda Williams.
Katie Crutchfield was eventually able to tour St. Cloud under the Waxahatchee moniker, albeit without her band. She finally toured St. Cloud for UK audiences in a limited capacity in the Spring of last year. This tour also acted as a mini-tour for her side project with singer-songwriter Jess Williams. The duo released a self-titled record together under the moniker of Plains in 2021. Waxahatchee’s 2023 UK tour saw Katie Crutchfield return to Belfast for the first in eight years, as she played the Black Box venue in the city’s Cathedral Quarter.
Earlier this year Waxahatchee released their sixth studio album Tigers BloodT. They also announced a tour of the UK and Ireland for July of this year to promote the record. This tour included a stop-off in Belfast, with them playing at the Empire Music Hall. This live date was the group’s first live show in the city as a full-touring band since June 2015. As a long-time fan of Waxahatchee, I immediately bought a ticket. Here are my thoughts on the concert, and why it is likely to be one of my favourite gigs of the year come December.
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