photo by michael persico

Umm ... Drop

Victor Victor Band

by Doug Wallen

For everyone out there who wishes the White Stripes had stuck to their primordial roots, allow me to introduce Victor Victor Band. Unlike Jack and Meg, Jamie and Danielle Victor are still very happily married (recently celebrating their fifth anniversary) and they’re all too happy to go on exploring the rugged terrain of rotgut riffing and basement thumping.

It sounds simple enough, but Jamie’s a good enough guitarist to fill any open spaces with big fat swirls of psych, and Danielle is with him at every step, firmly planted on the floor while he goes spinning and lurching around the stage. Plundering the blues with a fuzzy garage ferocity, Jamie’s voice goes from a thin quiver to a rebellious howl when needed, and his spirited antics are all too photogenic.

That old-school combination of chops and showmanship got them named the city’s Best Unsigned Band by Philadelphia Style magazine, and they’ve since conquered every rock-minded radio station and venue in the area, playing out at least once a week. It doesn’t hurt that they’re a cute couple, or that their album Chatterbox is more fully developed than most young bands’ debuts. It’s more diverse than expected, toying with keyboards and impromptu sing-alongs before closing with the badass instrumental “Do.”

If there’s a downside to the band’s raw, stripped-down sound, it’s that it works best in small clubs. The Victors know this all too well, so far sticking to reliable spots like the Khyber, JC Dobbs, Tritone and the Fire, where they’re playing a costume-encouraged Mischief Night lineup. But they’re getting so much attention that bigger venues are just around the corner. With a second album looming as well, it’ll be interesting to see how much they evolve and how much they embrace the tried-and-true basics.