In support of her latest album Tigers Blood, the indie-folk project Waxahatchee formed by Katie Crutchfield takes over the Heights Theater in Houston for an intimate show.
Waxahatchee is the project by Katie Crutchfield, who formed the band in 2010 after her original band P.S Eliot disbanded. The project started with the debut album American Weekend (released in 2012), followed by the album Cerulean Salt, which garnered Crutchfield high recognition. The band has toured with larger folk artists such as Kurt Vile and Sleater-Kinney, as well as heading out on multiple international tours. Crutchfield is also a notable member of the duo Plains, where she sings alongside singer Jess Williamson. Waxahatchee returned in 2024 with their sixth studio album Tigers Blood, which was announced alongside a North American tour.
It was a hot, spring evening in Houston, and everyone lined up to catch Waxahatchee at the Heights Theater. The crowd rushed in, got their drinks and secured their spots – soon after, opener Good Morning took the stage. Good Morning is an Australian indie duo who have joined Waxahatchee on tour, marking this one of their major North American appearances. Waxahatchee took the stage soon after, as the band stunted on stage to the tune of Cheap Trick’s “Southern Girl,” and began the set with songs from the latest album: “3 Sisters,” “Evil Spawn” and “Ice Cold.”
“Welcome Houston, it feels so good to be back” says Crutchfield to an energetic Houston crowd. The last time Waxahatchee performed in Houston was back in 2018 at Rockefeller’s, and have only stopped by Austin and Dallas since then. The singer continued to perform newer songs from Tigers Club, including “Burns Out at Midnight,” “Lone Star Lake” and the titular “Tigers Blood.” Throughout the set, Crutchfield sprinkled a few Plains covers throughout such as “Line of Sight” and “Hurricane”, which was a pleasant surprise to the crowd. When the band would perform old hits from the album Saint Cloud, the Houston audience would go scream in content and sing along to every single world.
Waxahatchee returned to the stage for the encore to perform a cover of Lucinda Williams “I Lost It,” as well as the third single of Tigers Blood called “365,” and subsequently ending with the group’s most well-known track “Fire.” The performance was absolutely outstanding and was a great way to showcase the well-written tracks of Tigers Blood, which already serves as one of this year’s best albums due to its intricate writing and high-end melodies. The show never fell short, as Crutchfield had an impeccable stage presence, and was always visibly and audibly in tune with her backing band. The show was soothing in terms of crowd and atmosphere, which ended up being the perfect way to wind down a Saturday evening.
WAXAHATCHEE
Photos + Review by Keylee Paz | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!