The Whigs are great. They make simple, solid rock and roll. With every new it band of the week, it gets really easy to overlook the basic musical formula of which all today’s genres are stemming from—guitar+bass+drums+vocals. No gimmicks, no extra polishing, no super side project connections. Just flat out loud and basic rock and roll. This Athens trio brought their refreshing sounds to Chicago’s Bottom Lounge last evening to a full house and literally rocked the crowd’s faces off performing tracks from last year’s “Mission Control” and 06’s “Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip.”
I’ve been a huge fan of Mission Control and fell hard for these guys after catching the last half of their set this past summer at Lollapalooza. My one regret though is that I wish I had been familiar with their older material prior to checking this show as several tracks were accounted for from their debut album. Songs like “Nothing is Easy” sounded hella solid, but I still felt a bit like the awkward 8th grader who wasn’t really invited to the birthday skating party, but showed up at the roller rink anyway—not really sure what’s going on, but still dying to be a part of it.
Highlights from the hour long set included opener “Mission Control,” which led into my personal fave the up-tempo, guitar blazing “Like a Vibration,” and the dance worthy “Hot Bed.” The audience totally lost their shit with the percussion opening of crowd favorite “Right Hand on My Heart”—as far as I could see, nobody was standing still—just a big old dance party, like shows should be, sans any pretentious bastards in the back with arms crossed.
The Bottom Lounge had perfect acoustics and sound set up as always, complimenting the energetic head banging and Animal like thrashing of the musicians on stage. Every time I check the BL, I’ve been impressed by the crisp quality of sound and lighting. The fact that the Whigs were the center of attention just upped my love for this downtown venue.
Last night’s performance was the second or third show I’ve heard of in Chicago in the past few months from this trio, but was actually the first headlining set I was able to catch. I just wish I hadn’t let this pass me by earlier, and know not to again in the future. For an escape from the kitschy trend of the week hype, The Whigs are definitely the perfect solution for an energetic and therapeutic night of true southern rock and roll.
Did anyone else happen to catch this show last night? What were your personal highlights?
MySpace: The Whigs
As originally seen here: Muzzle of Bees
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