After 10 years away from the stage, Whirr closed out their revival tour on September 7th in Houston at White Oak Music Hall, joined by sister band Nothing.
2025 is shaping up to be the year of revivals — from the Gallagher brothers in Oasis, to Nine Inch Nails, My Chemical Romance’s return, and even rare live dates from Radiohead. Whirr is also part of that wave, racking up a cult-like following thanks to their rising popularity on TikTok. They released their stunning album Raw Blue on Christmas Day 2024, which many have already hailed as the shoegaze album of the year.
The night kicked off with Mexico City’s three-piece Mint Field, who blend shoegaze, trip-hop, and dream pop into their live performances. The lights were dim, and the sounds from the band created a sense of tranquility. The guitars and laid-back vocals made the venue feel intimate, while the glaring bass and pounding drumbeats built into chaos until a wall of sound and reverb washed over the audience. Mint Field stands out for their unique ability to fuse genres together and melt faces in the process.
Nothing is a band that deserves their flowers for innovating modern-day shoegaze. Philadelphia’s own Nothing brings out the emotional and triumphant sounds of heavy shoegaze. With five records under their belt, their most recent release, The Great Dismal (2020), arrived at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The album explores themes of isolation and the chaos of human existence. The band also released the critically acclaimed split with Whirr in 2014, a pivotal moment in the shoegaze revival. Over the years, Nothing has seen many different members come and go, with even members of Whirr previously playing in the band. Today, the five-piece lineup feels solid, with each member also contributing to other projects.
They kicked off the night with “July the Fourth,” from the 2014 split with Whirr. Frontman Nicky Palermo expressed his gratitude for the tour and the crowd, engaging in banter with fans as the night progressed. The band powered through tracks from Guilty of Everything such as “B&E” and “Bent Nail.” The heaviness and fast-paced playing sparked mosh pits and crowd surfing, fully immersing fans in their chaotic energy. Nothing’s style is a heavier, grittier form of shoegaze, connecting to hardcore and metal influences.
They closed their set with one of the most emotional songs from their sophomore LP Tired of Tomorrow: “Eaten by Worms.” The track unfolds in stages—starting ominously before building into a blowout of sound and aggression. Palermo joined the crowd, screaming the lyrics face-to-face before collapsing into them. Nothing proves time and time again to be a must-see performance for any fan of heavy shoegaze.
Finally, the triumphant return of Whirr began. Whirr is a band that has paved the way for the rise in popularity of modern shoegaze. After more than a decade without live performances, they made their comeback as the headliner of Slide Away 2025 at the Brooklyn Paramount. Whirr has served as a major influence on bands like Glare, Wisp, Julie, and Narrow Head, and their songs “Ease” and “Leave” have garnered millions of streams. As the stage was being set, the room glowed in shades of blue, accompanied by ambient music in the background. The lighting reflected the atmosphere of their new album Raw Blue.
Hailing from Modesto, California, the band stepped onto the stage and opened with the album’s title track. Swirling guitars and slowed-down vocals filled the room, building into a crescendo of distortion and headbanging energy. They moved through several tracks from Raw Blue, including the crushing “Collect Sadness” and the beautifully layered, emotional standout “Crush Tones.” Whirr has always carried an air of mystery, and that mystique only draws fans in further. The band said little to nothing between songs, letting the music speak entirely for itself. Fans danced, cried, and clung to one another as the sound washed over them.
With this show being billed as Whirr’s final performance for the foreseeable future, the night felt like witnessing history unfold. The band pushed deeper into their catalog, performing heavier cuts from earlier records like Sway, along with emotional, hard-hitting songs such as “Heavy” and fan favorite “Mumble.” The night reached its conclusion with “Younger Than You,” from their 2019 record Feels Like You—an album considered by many to be their greatest work. The song’s steady, brooding progression pulled sadness from the crowd, each guitar layer seeping into the heart of the room.
In that moment, Whirr felt completely unbound. Fans were treated to a full-circle return, a night that celebrated not only their music but their legacy. Whirr continues to push boundaries and remind us that nights like these are experiences fans will remember forever.
I am a Houston-based photographer who has been attending concerts since MP3 players were a thing. I graduated from the University of Houston in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in advertising. In my free time, you can find me headbanging at hardcore/rock shows, collecting movies, and training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu!
