* En anglais uniquement
Frontman
Parker Gispert, drummer
Julian Dorio, and bassist
Hank Sullivant formed
the Whigs in 2002 while the three Athens-based musicians were attending college at the University of Georgia. With a jaunty mix of
Westerberg-like swagger, alt-rock songwriting, and a heartfelt country disposition,
the Whigs played their first shows around campus and soon graduated to higher-profile performances, including opening slots for the likes of
the Killers,
Franz Ferdinand, and
the Futureheads. Recording sessions for the band's debut album,
Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip, took place in an empty frat house several years later, and the disc was independently released in 2005. By the following year,
the Whigs' audience had widened considerably, prompting Rolling Stone to hail the trio as one of "10 Artists to Watch." The bandmates graduated from college that spring, and ATO Records signed them to its roster before the year was up.
Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip was released again in 2005, this time with ATO's help. Despite the surge of good luck,
Sullivant soon exited the group to pursue a solo career as
Kuroma -- a project he eventually put on hold in order to join
MGMT's backup band -- and
Tim Deaux climbed aboard as his replacement. With a revised lineup in place,
the Whigs traveled to Los Angeles in 2007 to begin work on their sophomore album, eventually announcing its completion that October.
Mission Control was issued in January 2008, and the band supported its release with a series of late-night TV performances and tour dates alongside the
Drive-By Truckers,
the Kooks, and
Kings of Leon. They returned to the road with
Kings of Leon in early 2009, and spent much of the remainder of the year writing songs for a third album. Recorded in Athens with producer
Ben Allen (who had spent the previous year recording
Animal Collective's highly acclaimed
Merriweather Post Pavilion),
In the Dark was completed in late 2009 and released the following March.
The Whigs supported
In the Dark with an extensive tour that ran into 2011, and then began working on a new album, their first for
New West Records. That album, titled
Enjoy the Company, appeared in the fall of 2012. Two years later, the group delivered
Modern Creation and in 2016 they released
Live in Little Five, which was only available on vinyl and as a digital download. ~ MacKenzie Wilson & Andrew Leahey