SNAP, CRACKLE & POP: Supercharged Wilco effervescent at the Hammersmith Apollo, 20th August 2026

Wilco at the Hammersmith Apollo, 20th August 2026 (Image: Damien Wilkinson)

In what has been a mighty hot summer, this was a scorcher!

A completely supercharged Wilco, strapped itself into the saddle and delivered a career highlights set that blew away a packed crowd at London’s Hammersmith Apollo.

Hovvdy warm things up

Hovvdy (pronounced ‘Howdy’) from Austin, Texas chargrilled an expectant and chattery crowd, delivering a two piece acoustic set that drew from new release Big Time (opener “Try, Try, Try”) as well as other selections across their 5 album career—album Hovvvdy from 2024 providing half of the eight song setlist.

Hovvdy at the Hammersmith Apollo, 20th August 2026 (Image: Damien Wilkinson)

The unplugged stripped-back versions played by band members Charlie Martin and Will Taylor, suggest a dip into the fully-blown band counterparts might well be a worthy venture.

Blow torch pyrotechnics

Building on Jeff Tweedy’s gig in the Capital in March this year, Wilco arrived in the UK for a couple of dates in London and Glasgow (“A Tour With Wilco”), with a date at the Green Man Festival, Wales, sandwiched in-between.

Wilco at the Hammersmith Apollo, 20th August 2026 (Image: Damien Wilkinson)

Setting the bar high from the outset, Wilco tore into classic, crowd favourite, “Handshake Drugs”.

Providing an early work-out for the nimble hands of guitarist Nels Cline, the sonic explosive breakout of the song, channelled the electrical ferocity of a fork stuck directly into the mains socket, as Cline virtually powered himself into the amps.

“If I Ever Was A Child” was next up, the song taken from Schmilco (2016), with John Stirratt’s pulsating bass textured by paint strokes applied, this time more gently, by Cline.

With Jeff Tweedy pronouncing a banter-lite gig, “We’ve got a lot of things we want to visit tonight” there was no let-up. The band were clearly on a mission with “Via Chicago” receiving an early airing. Traditionally a climatic later set highlight, the song retained the sonic melt-down—Cline’s guitar firing out incendiary shrapnel over the shards of Glenn Kotche’s Armageddon-esque drum rolls—as the song peaked and troughed. There was certainly more than a bowl-full of snap, crackle and pop, as it reached its zenith.

Nels Cline, Mikael Jorgensen of Wilco, Hammersmith Apollo, 20th August 2026 (Image: Damien Wilkinson)

Another delve into the back catalogue and “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” followed, as Tweedy carved through the “tongue-tied lightning”, Cline again adding the fireworks to the apex of the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot opener.

“Kamera” followed, as it does on the same album, still sparkling a quarter of a century after its release.

Returning to a newer song, the beguiling “Bird Without A Tail / Base Of My Skull” from 2022’s Cruel Country, with its connected verses and extended instrumental medley, highlighted that there really are no ‘joins’ across Wilco’s seamless musical canon.

“I’m Always In Love”, revamped with a swing-like vibe, showed there was no laurel-resting as “Everyone Hides” and “Annihilation” complemented a perfectly paced set.

As “Hummingbird” entered the proceedings we were fully embedded into “What’s your 20?” territory; it certainly was a Wilco best-of set chocked full of classics.

John Stirratt, the only other member of Wilco in-situ since its formation, took the microphone delivering a heartfelt “It’s Just That Simple” that he wrote for debut album, A.M.—a fitting spotlight for the talented bassist.

John Stirratt of Wilco sings It’s Just That Simple, Hammersmith Apollo, 20th August 2026 (Image: Damien Wilkinson)

We then faced an onslaught of Wilco sonic-nuggets—“Theologians”, “Impossible Germany”, “Art Of Almost” thundered around the Art Deco walls of the Hammersmith, almost stripping off the paintwork, before things mellowed with “Jesus, Etc.”, Cline’s lap-steel imbuing the track with a wistful reprieve.

Talented drummer Glenn Kotche, has been a integral part of the band for over 25 years now and his playing as usual tastefully glued things together, with a trademark crackle here and there.

Multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone and keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen, showed their understated worth, skilfully underpinning the songs and anchoring the Wilco sound architecture across the whole evening.

The pop returned with the ever popular “Heavy Metal Drummer” before the grand finale and tyre screech of “I’m The Man Who Loves You”—Tweedy and Cline trading guitar blows throughout, before the band’s stage exit.

But no way were they finished. Returning to a cacophonous ovation from the London crowd, a four-song powerhouse brought home the encore.

The band were in blistering form as they wheeled out “Ashes of American Flags”, “California Stars”, “I Got You (At The End Of The Century)” and “Outtasite (Outta Mind)”.

Clearly rejuvenated and massively enjoying things, the last two songs, in particular, had a ferocity that belied this was a band over 30 years into its career, as the almost two-hour set ended.

The Whole Love

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Hammersmith Apollo, 20th August 2026 (Image: Damien Wilkinson)

Make no mistake this was a special night and performance at this famous old venue.

Wilco managed to super-charge its extensive body of work and distil it into a two hour masterclass of what a great rock band should sound like.

It was epic.

Wilco was epic.

The crowd (and birthday girl Rachel Caines @thegroovesupply) show their love—Wilco, Hammersmith Apollo, 20th August 2026 (Image: Damien Wilkinson)

Seating: Stalls. Standing, left hand-side, a few rows in, Nels Cline ‘marvel’ eye-level

Setlist:

Handshake Drugs

If I Ever Was a Child

Via Chicago

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

Kamera

Evicted

Bird Without a Tail / Base of My Skull

I'm Always in Love

Everyone Hides

Annihilation

Hummingbird

It's Just That Simple

Theologians

Impossible Germany

Art of Almost

Jesus, Etc.

Heavy Metal Drummer

I'm the Man Who Loves You

Encore:

Ashes of American Flags

California Stars

I Got You (At the End of the Century)

Outtasite (Outta Mind)

Enjoyed this review? Check out my other reviews including Jeff Tweedy at Islington Hall, here.