The Whip gets the wrong address in Chicago

April 22, 2009, at the Congress Theatre

By Selena Fragassi
Published: April 13th, 2009 | 11:10pm

It’s too bad the never-ending lineup of DJs that preceded the Whip’s set didn’t think to play “Time Warp” in the horror show that took over Chicago’s Congress Theatre on Saturday evening. Kids from every nook and cranny of Illinois descended upon the rundown “dance floor,” dressed in their best outdated Armani Exchange and accessorized with glow sticks and candy necklaces looking for some sort of dance party. Fittingly, they got what they wanted as the house DJs played such ’90s staples as Robin S.’s “You’ve Got to Show Me Love” and Tag Team’s “Whoop There It Is.”

When the Whip finally took the stage, it was a short-lived interim set before the next mix master could take over. It was anybody’s guess why the group was even invited, as the audience just wasn’t buying into the darker edge of the Manchester outfit’s electro sound.

Although trying to play up the performance with a colorful light show that included windowpane backdrops, strobes, and polka-dot spotlights that reflected the imagery from the band’s debut album cover art, X Marks Destination (Razor and Tie), it was all just smoke and mirrors for a show that was anything but audible. Although not the band’s fault, the Congress Theatre has been known for its high school–proficient PA system, which massacred the the Whip’s original house style into a bloody pool of drums and synth.

Vocalist Bruce Carter’s contribution was lost in the wings of the stage, merely interference for the drum-reverb interplay, his most legible tracks were insufferable performances of standout hits “Trash,” “Blackout,” and “Divebomb,” which forced him to act as an applause sign just to get the crowd engaged. Thankfully, the band escaped the snafu by sticking mostly to instrumental material, which, in itself, didn’t match up to the Whip’s recordings and the remixes it has done for groups like Asobi Seksu and Sons and Daughters.

Although the band performed in a single-file line of equal weight, there was one standout — drummer Lil Fee, who packed quite the punch behind the kit looking like the halfway point between Animal the Muppet and Nirvana-era Dave Grohl, as her wild dark hair flew about and her arms never stopped. It’s incredible enough to see a live drummer in an electronic outfit, but Fee was a literal machine who carried the show in spite of its misgivings.

At the end of the night, it was hard to escape the fact that the Whip has talent, and perhaps given a better venue, a more mature crowd, and an intelligent promoter, they could have cracked it a bit harder.

For more photos from this show visit Venus Zine’s Flickr page
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The Whip feature