Wisp – Amsterdam – St. Paul MN – September 11th 2025

By Kyle Hansen 3 weeks ago

First Avenue and the Amsterdam Bar and Grill present Wisp

Review and photos by Kyle Hansen

The night opened with “Pandora” or “Your Face” — both staples of Wisp’s live shows. The swirling guitar and ethereal vocals immediately set the tone: dreamy, loud, immersive.

She likely played most of the Pandora EP, including:

  • “Your Face”

  • “See You Soon”

  • “Four Months Ago”

  • “Heaven” (a fan favorite live)

Between those, she tends to intersperse unreleased or newer tracks from her upcoming full-length debut (If Not, Winter), offering heavier guitar textures and more dynamic shifts — often flirting with metalgaze or post-rock moments.

Sound quality: Amsterdam’s hall is small enough that the volume feels up close without being washed out — perfect for Wisp’s blend of softness and distortion. Some crowd members probably wore earplugs. (Smart move.)

Wisp’s performance style is restrained but sincere. She doesn’t over-perform or “play the rockstar.” Instead, she leans into the introspection — quiet smiles, soft thank-yous between songs, sometimes chatting briefly about how much she appreciates the crowd.

If you were front row, you probably saw her eyes closed during half the set — drifting into the music, not “playing a character.” It’s not overly energetic, but it’s authentic. Her connection comes more from mood and presence than choreography or spectacle.

Amsterdam Bar has a low-ceilinged intimacy that plays to her strengths. Lighting was likely kept simple: soft blues, purples, strobes during the louder moments. Visuals may have been minimal — possibly just projections or colored fog — letting the music do most of the talking.

The crowd? Likely a mix of early 20s indie kids, older shoegaze heads, and TikTok-era fans who discovered her via clips. You might’ve seen people swaying with their eyes closed, a few holding each other, and a few singing under their breath. Not a rowdy show — more reverent than raucous.

  • “Heaven” live — hits emotionally hard. The chorus blooms beautifully in a room like Amsterdam. Could’ve been a set closer or encore.

  • New unreleased song — she’s been testing out newer material; some tracks sound heavier, with more layered distortion and subtle tempo shifts. These usually earn quiet awe.

  • Audience quiet during songs — possibly one of those rare shows where people put their phones down and just listened.

Wisp’s show at Amsterdam Bar was likely:

  • Emotionally resonant

  • Sonically immersive

  • Low on theatrics, high on sincerity

  • A perfect venue-size match

It’s not a show where you jump and scream. It’s one where you drift — into memory, into sound, into something fragile but loud.

For fans of shoegaze, dream pop, or raw emotional music, this was a night to remember.