Baltimore came to DC and really brought the heat on our first snow day of the season. There was an uncertainty in the air; could three small artists from Maryland fill the cozy DC9 with a lively crowd? When the first opener, The Soularites, kicked off the show for headliner Enslow, you could tell everyone was still thawing out a bit, with everyone standing as far away from the stage that such an intimate venue can allow for.
The shyness did not last long, thanks to some playful jabs from the lead singer and a very magnetic horn section, the crowd almost all at once decided to loosen up and approach the stage.
By the time Astronaut Class started to lift off, we were cooking with gas. Each member donned a customized space suit that really emphasized that these boys are here to entertain. My highlight of their performance was watching the band’s manager/guitarist’s wife/singer’s sister Katy run around in pure joy recording the show.
Finally, we have the self-proclaimed undiscovered popstar Enslow. Describing herself as a star feels accurate because of the sheer amount of dancing around and small interactions she had throughout the show — like when she was jumping and touching the ceiling because it’s so low there. All that movement was a concert photographer’s dream, because it felt like at any moment a golden shot was around the corner. To get an idea of the sound Enslow brings to her live act, I highly recommend looking up her “How You Do It” Tiny Desk submission video.
Watch Enslow perform “How You Do It” live in a Tiny Desk Contest submission on YouTube:
The more guitar centric renditions of her music sounds so rich and you can tell the fans were eating it up, dancing like they were at a Turnstile concert at times. I specifically found the higher emphasis on the bass guitar on the live performance to be the difference maker. Comparisons to artists like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Kacey Musgraves are inevitable, especially with the way each track is produced for the recorded albums. However, during the show I was getting slight shades of Hayley William, especially when compared to some of the more mellow Paramore tracks.
The matching button up shirts on each band member with “Enslow” embroidered on their backs, the purple tube lights that circled the stage, and Enslow’s DIY mirror covered costume made the whole experience feel like a private concert of a pop idol rather than a local artist doing a one-off show.
I truly have nothing but praise for what I experienced live. The caveat to all of this, I do wish her recorded music was sonically more similar to her live performances. Knowing that one of her favorite artists and inspirations is Stevie Nicks, seeing the success of her Tiny Desk video on her TikTok and YouTube, and the mini resurgence of guitar based music in the past year or so, I do wonder why Enslow doesn’t lean into the rock and folk sounds she already has at her disposal and that her show at DC9 put on full display. She has all the intangibles, but I’m genuinely convinced a move towards a more pop-rock sound could push her to stardom!
Here are some photos of Enslow performing live at DC9 on Dec. 4, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Roman Meerzaman.
