Rising indie rock star MJ Lenderman played the first of two sold-out shows at the Independent in San Francisco on February 17th. It’s been quite a couple years for the 26-year old Asheville, NC singer/songwriter, with his record Manning Fireworks coming out in September just in time to make several best-records-of-the-year lists. He also appeared on one of 2024’s best records, Waxahatchee’s Tiger’s Blood–all on top of a years-long tour playing guitar with another critical-darling band, Wednesday. With Lenderman set to return to the Bay Area in the fall for a show at the much larger Fox Theater in Oakland, this two-night stand was probably the last chance for fans to see him in such a small space for the foreseeable future.
A wry, spiritual successor to bands like Smog and the Silver Jews, Lenderman and his band tore through a loose but energetic 19-song setlist that included the entirety of Manning Fireworks.
New York indie rock band Wild Pink opened the night with a satisfyingly heavy set of fuzzy guitar rock… but also with saxophone solos, pedal steel, and harmonica riffs.
