Heavily hyped lads The Whigs took the stage in the early afternoon Sunday to a crowd of largely apathetic and sun drained fans.
The heat was punishing, but as the boys built a steady momentum, structured largely around their sophomore release, Mission Control, the crowd began to warm up to the Athens, GA three piece. Their laid-back, pop friendly approach to garage rock is too clean for The Replacements comparisons they have won in the media. More akin to The Lemonheads with their slacker/youthful vibe, the band kicked into gear with a few choice cuts from their debut album Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip.
It was not until the opening drumbeat of “Right Hand on my Heart” began that the crowd showed the first signs of life. The southern rock contingent was somewhat missing from the festival this year, with no My Morning Jacket or Drive By Truckers on the bill, so The Whigs provided a good opportunity for pseudo good ol’ boys to crack into that smuggled bottle of Jim Beam and chase away Saturday’s lingering hangover.
For a three piece, the band made a lot of noise, keeping things clean and never venturing too far off the path into feedback or drone. In the end, they banged out a tight set, perfectly serviceable, never transcendent, but certainly a good way to begin Sunday’s proceedings.
The Whigs: “Right Hand on my Heart”
The Whigs: “Right Hand on my Heart”
-Drew Fortune
Photos by Kevin J. Bradley