“We wimpin’?!” yelled Cameron Bina of Strange Mother during the band’s opening set at Cheer Up Charlies last weekend. He was referring to Seattle-based touring band the Wimps, who headlined the show. The question morphed into a chant: “Wim-pin’! Wim-pin’!” It was pretty dumb, but also pretty funny, and the right kind of silly for a Sunday night punk rock show with Wimps.
Wimps were making their Austin debut—surprising for a band that seems to fit in so well here. The group’s lean punk at times feels idiosyncratic and light but has the ability to turn ferocious in an instant. Although Wimp’s can certainly get down with strummed, distorted power chords, they often look to slinky guitar lines and trebley bass interspersed in songs. The band’s streamlined arrangement allows these parts plenty of space within the songs, creating great hooks and turns.
Alternating, call-and-response style vocals from guitarist Rachel Ratner and bassist Matt Nyce provide both aural and visual components for the live set. All the members perform with intensity and physical energy making them a lot of fun to see. I’m hoping Wimps will find more reasons to get this far south sooner rather than later. Five out of five fans rocking out in the front row donned in Wimps shirts at Cheer Up Charlies agree, we were definitely wimpin’.
Check out photos from the evening below. All photographs © Bryan C. Parker & Pop Press INTL.; click any image to open in slideshow viewer.
