Live music review: Wand delivered spellbinding magic at Mohawk Austin
On a hot, muggy Saturday night last week, favorite Austin venue The Mohawk was the hot spot in town. While the outdoor stage was booked with the likes of Black Joe Lewis and Emily Wolfe, The smaller, more intimate indoor venue was blessed with the psychedelic, ultra-creative musical stylings of the Los Angeles-based five-piece, Wand. The performance was simply spellbinding magic.
Setting the tone for the evening was local, minimalist band Chronophage. Dreams Decay, of Seattle followed, delivering a powerfully heavy, drone-punk vibe, energizing an overheated, tightly-packed room of fans.
It took a bit for Wand to begin their set, building a thick cloud of anticipation among the crowd. Introducing the set with an extended performance of “Hare,” Cory Hanson (lead vocals/guitar) played guitar with a violin bow, foreshadowing a creative trend for the performance that at one point, included a rubber chicken as a tool of instrumentation. Wand continued the set with “Wonder,” “XOXO,” and “Walkie Talkie,” each meshing as extended versions of their studio recordings. The songs flurried with impressive and energetic guitar solos.
At this point, Hanson returned an (apparent) inside birthday joke in response to their tour openers, Dreams Decay, displaying the rapport they’ve built throughout their time on tour, and took it up a notch, playing “Happy Birthday” with a crowd sing-a-long. This was a “bring-back-to-reality” moment that elicited laughs from the packed audience.
Before continuing with the performance of “Thin Air,” Hanson explained to the crowd the significance of the Mohawk venue to Wand, the indoor room in particular. It was on their previous trip to Austin that they played (then) unheard material that would end up on their latest album release, “Laughing Matter,” Hanson informed the room.
The tune “Rio Grande” was introduced with a short anecdote of the birth of the song. “We wrote it while here in Texas, while at the Rio Grande.” It was inspired by the current political situation at the border. A timely reminder that political upheaval is of concern to both the band and their fans.
The culminating movement, “Airplane,” was an ambient and powerful piece that was on point as a perfect representation of all music throughout the set. The crowd was enthused throughout the show, but this wasn’t so much a hyped atmosphere, as it was an entranced audience.
Wand compete their U.S. tour tonight in Santa Ana, California. The tour resumes in Europe next month. See all of Wand’s upcoming dates here.
Wand
Cory Hanson-Vocals, Guitar
Sofia Arreguin-Synth, Vocals
Robert Cody-Guitar
Lee Landey-Bass
Evan Burrows-Drums
