You don't know what you're going to get with WHOOP-Szo — one minute they're knocking out sludgy stoner rock riffs, the next it's psychedelic noise or even just some (relatively) straight-ahead melodic rock. Singer Adam's Sturgeon's nasally twang only further muddied the waters.
Given the array of sound sounds in play, their set was, unsurprisingly, somewhat chaotic — when they began without introduction, it wasn't clear if the wall of sound coming from the stage was the quintet sound-checking or starting their set.
Binding it all together, though, is an adherence to groove; every song had at least one section where all the instruments locked in together. Unfortunately, the sheer volume of their playing drowned out many of the subtleties heard on their recordings, somewhat flattening their sound despite the many stylistic diversions. Still, the unpredictability gave the band an edge that clearly moved the handful of fans in the front who head-banged throughout most of their 30-minute set.
Given the array of sound sounds in play, their set was, unsurprisingly, somewhat chaotic — when they began without introduction, it wasn't clear if the wall of sound coming from the stage was the quintet sound-checking or starting their set.
Binding it all together, though, is an adherence to groove; every song had at least one section where all the instruments locked in together. Unfortunately, the sheer volume of their playing drowned out many of the subtleties heard on their recordings, somewhat flattening their sound despite the many stylistic diversions. Still, the unpredictability gave the band an edge that clearly moved the handful of fans in the front who head-banged throughout most of their 30-minute set.