Read previous – Alvvays, Snail Mail, and Hatchie @ Union Transfer
Hatchie (the stage name of Australian singer-songwriter Harriette Pilbeam) is currently touring in support of her sophomore LP Giving The World Away (released in April via Secretly Canadian). The shows are their first in North America since the beginning of the pandemic. We’d last had a chance to catch Hatchie on tour with Alvvays and Snail Mail back in 2018 when they played Union Transfer – you can check out our coverage of that show here.
Reminiscent of our favorite lush ’80s dream pop, we were big fans of Hatchie’s earlier releases (i.e., the Sugar & Spice EP and debut LP Keepsake). On Giving The World Away, Hatchie draws on even wider sounds & influences and brings out arena-ready bangers in force. Standout tracks like “Quicksand” and “Don’t Leave Me In The Rain” evoke pre-cottagecore era Taylor Swift and “The Rhythm” is a ’90s alternative rock comeback that begs to be performed in a stadium. One of her strongest tracks to date, “Sunday Song” serves as a reminder of what we love most about Hatchie, with its dreamy/ethereal instrumentation and harmonies during the verses complemented by an anthemic shoegaze chorus.
For their show at The Foundry in Philly, Hatchie was joined by opener Caroline Loveglow. Loveglow released her debut LP Strawberry earlier this year and it’s so damn good. Performing as a duo, Loveglow played a way too short 5-song set. For sure, I’ll be keeping her on my radar and watching out for her next tour.
Hatchie’s pre-set playlist was a notably atypical blast from the past and included “I Wonder If I Take You Home” by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam – that may not mean anything to most people, but it’s something I needed to acknowledge because that song makes me nostalgic for social hall dance parties in North Philly from back in the day (yeah, I’m old). Hatchie started off their set with Giving The World Away track “Don’t Leave Me in the Rain” and then continued the evening with a mix of new and older material. Pilbeam’s bass playing on “Giving the World Away” gave the track a much more funky vibe performed live, as opposed to the more Bananrama-inspired studio version. They also performed their cover of “Crush”, a darker and moodier rendition than the original 1998 version by Jennifer Paige. They ended the night with their quintessential track “Sure” from the Sugar & Spice EP. With support from bandmate/guitarist Samira Winter on harmonies, it was a beautiful performance and a perfect way to end their set. Check out the full setlist and music video for “Quicksand” below and keep scrolling to see more photos from the show.
Hatchie Setlist (5/5/2022):
– Don’t Leave Me in the Rain
– This Enchanted
– Obsessed
– Try
– Take My Hand
– Giving the World Away
– Without a Blush
– Stay With Me
– Crush (Jennifer Paige cover)
– Quicksand
– The Rhythm
– Lights On
– Her Own Heart
– Sure
