With a sound that has been described as 70s glam-punk, disco, rock, indie, new wave, funk, and even greasy dance-rock, it may not be easy to label these newcomers, but it is definitely easy to feel the vibe and dance along to the catchy tunes.
Mysterious Fashion for a Mysterious Band
To complement their unique, bouncy, funky groove, The Virgins were decked out in tight jeans, band t-shirts and flannel button-up shirts. As the Atlantic Records website states, “The Virgins exemplify the sound and style of downtown New York City in 2008.”
The band t-shirt sported by guitarist Wade Oates was actually one of fellow New Yorker and opener Lissy Trullie, who the band announced as their favorite singer. Front man Donald Cumming wore an INXS shirt under his flannel and a few songs into the set, the flannel was off and the sweaty Cumming flaunted his INXS duds.
But, before this sweaty, sexy scene, as the foursome took the stage, they were accompanied by a much dorkier-looking fifth member, a guitarist in a sweater over collared shirt get-up. And since the members of the band were never introduced and the band website doesn’t list the members or have a biography page, the mystery guitarist remains unnamed. A typical Virgins mystery.
High-Energy Performance
A mystery soon forgotten, however, because as soon as the New Yorkers played their first note, the famous Toronto venue was aflame with screaming, dancing, energy-feeding fans. And the band made sure not to disappoint.
It’s clear where lead singer Cumming gets his inspiration. With his fist perched on his hip, strutting back and forth across the stage, clapping to the beat, Cumming’s dance style is pure Jagger. And just as The Rolling Stones made Mick Jagger one of the sexiest men to ever grace the stage, the sweet bass lines of Nick Zarin-Ackerman, solid drumming of Erik Ratensperger and quick-wristed guitar strokes of Wade Oates complement Donald Cumming’s rolling vocals so sensually that even the men in the crowd were getting turned on.
The Virgins definitely turned in a good performance and seemed to have fun doing it. Cumming riled up the crowd with appreciative nods to the band’s Toronto fans and, although he seemed a little fidgety at times, gave his fans a show to remember. In between strutting around like Jagger, Cumming would run to the back of the stage and bang away at the drums with his hand, while Ratensperger drummed on, with a huge smile on his face.
Oates flashed a few smiles, himself, to the other band members, when he wasn’t tossing his shaggy blonde hair around or showing off his guitar moves.
The Virgins are definitely worth seeing live and are sure to entertain. At one point, after Cumming supplied the crowd with gigantic beach balls to bat around, one fan in the El Mocambo crowd could no longer contain his excitement. Just as The Virgins were hitting the stage hard, a rather tall and large man decided to do a little crowd surfing and, after leaping from the stage, ended up doing a massive belly flop, hitting the floor hard.
Although this could very well have contributed to the band’s constant smiling and high spirits, The Virgins finished off the set by asking, over the microphone, if he was okay. What nice guys.
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