Philadelphia Digs The Whigs
Jon Hodess
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
The Whigs reminded everyone what a rock and roll show sounds like Nov. 15 and 16 when they opened up two sold out nights at the Electric Factory with Kings of Leon and We Are Scientists. Within moments of taking the stage Nov. 15, the band ignited the entire venue with a fire just shy of a thousand suns and brought an energy that would not be matched at any point later in the show. The Whigs are just a three-piece band from Athens, Georgia, but they come together to produce a sucker punch of distortion and melody that left ears tingling for the rest of the evening.
The band is made up of vocalist/guitarist Parker Gispert, drummer extraordinaire Julian Dorlo, and bassist/keyboardist Tim Deaux. The three have come together to form a sound like a perfect mash up of Nirvana, The Rolling Stones, The Lemonheads, The Beatles, and Oasis, with an indie-sensibility on the side. It is this big alternative rock sound that makes the band's live shows such a force to be reckoned with.
Touring in support of their second album, "Mission Control," The Whigs' set was primarily, though not exclusively, comprised of newer songs like "Already Young" and "Right Hand On My Heart." Many of the songs on the album, released on Dave Matthews' ATO Records, are a pleasantly loud change from the alternative rock bands touring these days. For example, watching Gispert dance around the stage on one leg while playing a distorted breakdown was a lot more gratifying than the performance given by Caleb Followill of Kings of Leon, which was subdued in comparison.
What really pulls people towards the band, though, is the quality of the songs being played. Any idiot with a guitar and amplifier can make loud noises while thrashing around on stage, but The Whigs' happen to have an arsenal of ear catching tunes to go along with their energetic performance and raucous sound.
The rest of the show was nothing to be taken for granted. All three bands were mixed well and sounded great, which is a rarity at the Electric Factory. We Are Scientists was the second act to go on and ultimately performed a forgettable set. Despite the primo sound quality, their lack of stage presence and monotonous slew of songs did not keep the show up to the level The Whigs had achieved.
Kings of Leon, on the other hand, were an entirely different story. Though their stage presence may have been subdued compared to The Whigs, their performance was the musical equivalent of cutting through butter. Not one band member missed a beat during any of their critically acclaimed songs, and the crowd's energy compensated for any lack of movement on stage.
The whole show was a refreshing experience for someone that has been longing for a good, loud rock show. It was also nice to hear a band that is not afraid to mix songwriting with some balls to the wall rock and roll as The Whigs have done. After such a spirited performance opening for the Kings of Leon, The Whigs' next performance in Philadelphia should bring quite a turn out.
The band is made up of vocalist/guitarist Parker Gispert, drummer extraordinaire Julian Dorlo, and bassist/keyboardist Tim Deaux. The three have come together to form a sound like a perfect mash up of Nirvana, The Rolling Stones, The Lemonheads, The Beatles, and Oasis, with an indie-sensibility on the side. It is this big alternative rock sound that makes the band's live shows such a force to be reckoned with.
Touring in support of their second album, "Mission Control," The Whigs' set was primarily, though not exclusively, comprised of newer songs like "Already Young" and "Right Hand On My Heart." Many of the songs on the album, released on Dave Matthews' ATO Records, are a pleasantly loud change from the alternative rock bands touring these days. For example, watching Gispert dance around the stage on one leg while playing a distorted breakdown was a lot more gratifying than the performance given by Caleb Followill of Kings of Leon, which was subdued in comparison.
What really pulls people towards the band, though, is the quality of the songs being played. Any idiot with a guitar and amplifier can make loud noises while thrashing around on stage, but The Whigs' happen to have an arsenal of ear catching tunes to go along with their energetic performance and raucous sound.
The rest of the show was nothing to be taken for granted. All three bands were mixed well and sounded great, which is a rarity at the Electric Factory. We Are Scientists was the second act to go on and ultimately performed a forgettable set. Despite the primo sound quality, their lack of stage presence and monotonous slew of songs did not keep the show up to the level The Whigs had achieved.
Kings of Leon, on the other hand, were an entirely different story. Though their stage presence may have been subdued compared to The Whigs, their performance was the musical equivalent of cutting through butter. Not one band member missed a beat during any of their critically acclaimed songs, and the crowd's energy compensated for any lack of movement on stage.
The whole show was a refreshing experience for someone that has been longing for a good, loud rock show. It was also nice to hear a band that is not afraid to mix songwriting with some balls to the wall rock and roll as The Whigs have done. After such a spirited performance opening for the Kings of Leon, The Whigs' next performance in Philadelphia should bring quite a turn out.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Amy
posted 3/07/09 @ 9:06 PM EST
I'm just catching this review months after, but this is exactly how I felt after watching The Whigs perform this show. I'm a huge fan of KOL's early stuff, but I must say, The Whigs totally blew me away that night with their dynamic performance. (Continued…)
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