The Whigs

The Whigs are one of the few remaining bands that still regularly tours. I don't have much to say about them other then that they always deliver. The show this past tuesday at Mercury Lounge was amazing. An "A+" rock performance that had everyone there on their feet and dancing.

Band of Skulls is quintessentially raucous. Their set was amazing. My only complaint is that it was too short.

The whole night was incredible! I took my 8 year old son to the show because The Whigs are his favorite band and we listen to them constantly. The venue was small and he had the time of his life because we got to meet all the members and get pictures/autographs with them as well as The Features and TCTTM. All the music was rockin and we can't wait to see all the bands again.

Such an underappreciated band. Just great all around - sound, energy, presence, everything.

The Whigs are incredible. I'm an avid music fan and go to a ton of shows. The Whigs are one of very few bands I like MORE after seeing live. They just plain rock. They're incredible. Rough Trade's set times are too late though, it's very inconvenient to attend a weekday show that starts so late. Exhausted at work the next day (The Whigs are worth it, but the late set times discourage me from seeing other bands at Rough Trade).

The 2 openers were an interesting choice. Streets of Laredo were good. They reminded me of a less wistful Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Nikki Lane was VERY country. Every song had too much twang that was played on a steel string guitar with a finger slide. It was a little over the top for my taste. But the minute the whigs came on stage they blew everyone away. Their sound is meant for an arena size venue and I can't wait until they headline a tour like that. They have so much energy and they're loud; in that good way. This is the third time I've seen them and they seem to be getting better and better. It was a kick ass show.

Went with friends to see the Whigs having only heard a few of the Whigs' songs, my favorite being Right Hand on My Heart. Performance exceeded expectation. Drummer is great. Songs sound better in person than on record. Would recommend a Whigs concert to anyone that likes their sound. The "new" songs should be hits. The Basement is a fun and very small venue.

I saw them play in Grand Rapids this week and there were like 15 people there. This is one of the best rock bands in the U.S. and it was awesome to see them in such a small venue. They are great live! I hope they continue playing and find a better manager so they get the audiences they deserve.

Great venue, Drivin N Cryin was amazing. The Whigs also did a great job....would recommend this show to friends.

The Whigs rock harder than just about anyone* out there (*see Foo Fighters - no one rocks harder, NO ONE). And they seem to do it almost effortlessly. None of the band is particularly outspoken on stage, at least in a verbal sense. They let their music do almost all of the talking - and it is loud. Gispert's haunting vocals recall folk legends of old and bear some similarities to Bridwell of Band of Horses, but his voice and lyrics are very much his own. His voice and songs, like the band itself, are all over the place (in a good way) sonically and thematically (psychedelic, folky, punky, and wistful) yet at the same time clearly united by a rock sound that they uniquely own. Oh, and did I mention Parker plays guitar? Cause he does, damn well. Shredding, kicking, and thrashing about on stage, he challenges the audience to let go - break in to spastic fits when the energy is high, and sway in the breeze in the moments between the thunder claps. It's evident that Dorio was basically born playing drums. He hits them like a cobra strikes - a slow recoil and blinding fast attack - such that, to him at least, he seems to have all the time in the world to decide where to strike next. It's that poised ease over a barely contained fury that will make him a percussive weapon to watch in the rock world. Deaux plays bass. I play bass. I've been playing for half of my life. I could play for the remainder of my life and never sound as strong and crisp as Deaux, and if I did, it'd take another lifetime to learn how to make it look so effortless. Each of these guys - they put it all out there (if 'it' refers to every ounce of energy they own, and an absurd amount of sweat) but it still somehow looks like they're just playing with us. Their actual musical performance is excellent but seems effortless; their showmanship takes more strength than most possess. Watch this band. Watch them for decades. You'll be glad you did.

I'm gettin older. That is for sure, as I found the music a tad to loud for my liking, especially since I was not familiar with the band. Having said that, I thought the drummer was worth the price of admission, even if I couldn't stay for the entire show. A little to much power for the size of venue, but hey, I used to like that loud stuff!

The opening band wasn't great. I didn't like their music. But once The Whigs got on stage the energy was put right back in the room. The whole band was so into playing great and making you feel every chord in your body. At points I almost got t hypnotized by the drummer because of the way he rhythmically threw his head around. I didn't know all the songs but it didn't matter. I had a great time!!

I will make this short and sweet......If you like crazy, amazing guitar riffs, blistering drums, pounding bass, excellent Rock N Roll and The Foo Fighters, you MUST see The Whigs! The Whigs SHOULD be selling out every where they play.

These guys are absolutely awesome and put on an amazing show. Tons of energy and sound incredible live. Definitely deserve more attention!

I've been a fan of The Whigs for a couple years now. I can hear influences from some of my favorites (Rollings Stones, Neil Young). That was my sense of them from the albums I own. Seeing them live is a different experience. Their sound is HUGE...reminded me of when I saw Muse at MSG a couple years ago. Bottom line is they make great music and great lyrics and since the concert I haven't stopped listening to them. I expect bigger and better things from them in the future. They can be as big as they want!

its always about the music with these guys. very generous off stage. tear up the air on stage. haven't been to a show that didn't have heart. i like that they freely experiment with new stuff. always staying in a perpetual work-in-motion mode is what attracts me to them as a band. growing and changing everyday is what everything is about

The Whigs never disappoint. They always put on a solid live show.

SO AMAZING. Opening and closing with the Tomohawk Chop....? A+ in my book. They killed it

It was my fourth time seeing the Whigs and although I don't know the words to most of the songs the energy is just AWESOME!!!! I hope they do it again next Thanksgiving!.

Amazing as always!! Great venue and good amount of space.

Great ticket prices, great venue, great bands. Fourth time I've seen them and they get better every time.

The Whigs were so on!!! The Features rocked as opener. So wild!

Highs and lows. Singer got after it. Solid stage presence and super high energy level, but little energy from the crowd. A few kids dancing at the front of the stage but mostly just dudes standing around chewing gum. The sound was problematic for part of the show. Didn't seem well mixed to me. After what I thought was a shaky start, they got it going a little later and I definitely thought they played some songs well. Nice mix of songs from their new album which were solid (particularly enjoyed "Production City" and "Like a Vibration") and some older songs (don't remember the name of the song I liked the most-bass player was on the keys). The drummer is commendable. Bassist reminded me of guitarist Spider from School of Rock--yikes! Tomahawk chop is lame. Lot of points lost there. This was my first time seeing the band live. I had seen many live videos of their performances and felt like their performance last night lacked the tightness, imagination, and cohesion of their youtube/late night performances. I'll give props to the singer/guitar player and the drummer, but ultimately the performance as a whole was less than the sum of its parts.

It was awesome! I would recommend it to anyone. They are the best band!

Great live. It Would have been better if inside. 1 I was cold. 2. Sound was ok. But the drummer was awesome so I loved it!!

This is the next big band in the alternative rock scene. Julian Dorio can tear it up on the drums. He will become a legend once time passes. Together, they make music moving.

I was very impressed by the whigs performance and enthusiasm despite a lackluster crowd at the newport on 11/3. I saw them a year ago at the same venue opening for the kooks and was drawn in by their powerful riffs and stage presence then so when i heard they were comin back i immediately got tix. They put on a great show again and it was just too bad that there wasnt a more raucous crowd to enliven the joint. They are a very good band and highly respected by music publications so Im not sure why more people didnt come out, and tix were only $5 too. Oh well it was still fun

I thought The Features were great but the Whigs were unclimactic. The drummer in The Whigs was not as good as The Features. Also Mean Creek who toured in Boston were better than the Whigs.

This was the perfect venue for this type of show. The Dead Trees came out, even after having their van broken into, and rocked some of their aggressions out. The Features just killed it. The fans sang along and band played a couple of new tracks. It was perfect, not a bad place to stand in the bar. We didn't stay for the Whigs but they played half as well as the opening bands then I'm sure it was a kick A#* show!

The first time I was exposed to the Whigs was at lollapalooza '08, they rocked a large crowd in a mid-afternoon show. It's high-energy music that still has a soft mellowness ? I've been listening to them ever since.. This show was at a very small bar in Buffalo, NY. The singer was happily surprised that most of us knew their first album and did alot of great older songs. At one point, he walked out into the crowd while playing a solo. They did a sweet break down to heavy strobe effects which looked cool. They killed themselves up there and left the stage drenched in sweat on a cool night. The Dead Tress started the show.. they started a little rough, but it was understandable because apparently someone had just smashed a window and broken into their vehicle. Good crescendo points where they released their noise gate and got loud. I had not previously heard the Features, but alot of the crowd seemed to know a few of their songs. Good solid indie pop, I plan to follow up on them.

The Dead Trees, The Features, and The Whigs put on the greatest show I've seen in a long time. The whole thing lasted over 4 hours, and was excellent. The WHigs new songs are equally awesome. Every band brought out their own unique brand of music while also talking to people in the audience before and when their bands weren't playing. I had a great time, and the Whigs were extremely approachable.