Every now and again you come across a band who are simply too special to ignore, Whitney are one of those bands. Their debut album Light Upon The Lake, combines the talents of six magnificent musicians who each bring their own spark to produce the rainbow of sonic colour that is Whitney.

Tonight’s sold out show at The Haunt is the first night of Whitney’s UK tour and as Aussie support, Julia Jacklin, enters the stage, we are introduced to her soothing western sounding vocals intertwined with aspects of the psychedelic. Julia’s high notes in particular are especially noteworthy, in songs such as ‘L.A Dream’ they reach a level that few can control with this much ease. The set contains a refreshing variation of material, featuring not only slower numbers but the bouncing riffs of ‘Pool Party’ offer a complete performance which made Julia the ideal support for the night. Despite being from the other side of the world, Julia Jacklin has definitely made her mark on the Brighton scene.

As I see a trumpet in the background and the drum kit being dragged to the front of the stage, I am already more than intrigued as to what Whitney are really going to sound like. Despite my scepticism, as vocalist and drummer Julien Ehrlich begins, his vocals immediately go above and beyond the expected. There is a sense of fragility and damaged emotion within each lyric, yet this is contrasted by the sharpness of each intricate drum fill which is timed as though it were clockwork.

The level of cohesion this band have is phenomenal, each member clearly not only knows their place, but knows how to seamlessly bounce off each other. Throughout the set, everyone has their own time in the spotlight with a surplus of guitar, bass and trumpet solos of varying styles and speeds, some lean on the funk side, whilst others bask in simple transient psychedelic tones. However, it is keys player, Malcom Brown, who takes the solo crown. Malcom frantically bounces along to each key he hits, his fingers becoming a blur of speed as he transforms the keys into an infinite combination of complementary sounds that are unlike anything I’ve ever heard.

Whitney’s own material is some of the strongest songwriting to come out of the past few years, despite this, they are certainly not afraid to keep the show interesting and personal to themselves as two covers make an appearance, one being from Bob Dylan. Each is given their own twist which Whitney excel at incorporating into their music, changing what could have been a dry rendition into one of the highlights of the evening.

It is an incredible talent to be able to make your music feel like more of a theatrical production instead of just a play through of album material, however Whitney seem to be able to do this innately. Julien’s stage presence throughout the show is commendable, the combination of humorous timidity and ironic cliche provides a more than engaging watch. With a red wine bottle in his hand, each time Julian speaks outside a song, it feels as though it were still part of some obscure spoken word poem, which following the erratic nature of Whitney’s performance thus far, would not be too much of a surprising addition! Closing numbers ‘Light Upon The Lake’ and fan favourite ‘No Woman’ have a definite buzz to them and are strong enough to get the entirety of the audience either swaying or jumping in the compacted space. As the instrumentals fade, the entire room erupts into a bellowing applause that shakes the very walls of the room.

As far as I am concerned, Whitney’s debut album has created a level of hype that has no limit, these guys are set to grow bigger and better as they develop and on their next return to Brighton, will undoubtedly be one of the hottest bands across the globe.
Ben Walker

Website: whitneytheband.com
Facebook:  facebook.com/whitneychicago
Twitter: twitter.com/whitneytheband