From its inception, the group has been notable for the fact that all members share lead vocal and songwriting duties, in a manner that has been compared to The Band.
[6] The band members cite their influences as Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, Neil Young, The Replacements, Uncle Tupelo, Ryan Adams, Pearl Jam and My Morning Jacket.
[5] As well as The Band, The Whybirds have been compared to Bruce Springsteen, The Who,[8] Tom Petty,[9] Pearl Jam, The Allman Brothers,[10] Neil Young (specifically with Crazy Horse),[11] Alex Chilton and Warren Zevon[12] among others.
The band played their farewell gig on 11 August 2017 at The Lexington in London – 10 years and one day after the release of their debut EP, Tonight.
The Whybirds album was launched at The Barfly in Camden Town in March 2008 but received little press attention on release.
Cold Blue Sky was met with critical acclaim from the UK and European music press upon its release in 2010, with positive reviews from publications such as Classic Rock (7/10),[18] Maverick Country (4/5)[19] and R2 (Rock'n'Reel) (4/5),[20][21] as well as other music websites such as Eurorock,[22] Northern Sky,[23] Power Metal (9/10)[24] and Americana UK (7/10).
in their best songs of the year, calling the track a "slice of blinding blue-collar country rock from the Bruce Springsteens of Bedford".
Indeed, like many other jam bands, The Whybirds have an open taping policy, and many of their concerts have been uploaded to the Live Music Archive for free download.
The record saw The Whybirds going in a "meaner, darker, grittier" direction due to both the change in lineup and the mood within the band.
[47] In a press release accompanying the album,[48] Dave Banks was quoted as saying: "Everything good we thought would happen to us leading up to and after Cold Blue Sky just didn’t.
We as a band were being promised the earth, we were younger, less jaded… This record, well, I think the things that happened to us between this one and the last – including losing a member – influenced the songs greatly.
"[49] The album received positive reviews in the UK national press from publications including Uncut (7/10),[50] Powerplay (7/10),[51] Scottish Daily Express (4/5),[52] R2 (Rock'n'Reel) (4/5),[53] as well as websites such as Songwriting Magazine (5/5),[54] Americana UK (7/10),[55] Renacer Eléctrico Music Magazine,[56] Fatea [57] and Indie London (3.5/5).
A case in point is the feverish plaudits that greeted The Whybirds' 2010 album Cold Blue Sky, with the band lauded as England's answer to the Allmans...
Produced by Tom Peters, the record features Banks and Haswell from the band, as well as other guests including Max Hart (We Are Scientists, Katy Perry), Nick Mailing (The Quireboys), Chris Corney (The Quireboys) and Simon Rinaldo (Pearl Handled Revolver), with string arrangements by Bedford composer Johnny Parry.
In April 2017, it was reported by Spanish magazine Ruta 66 that the band would be playing three final shows in the summer before going on indefinite hiatus.
[92] Nick Mailing, who produced The Whybirds and A Little Blood, joined the band on bass and Ben Haswell moved back to guitar.
In an Americana UK news article, the band cited "life commitments" as the reason for the break, and said: "It’s been an amazing 11 years and has been a hell of a ride.
"[91] The shows – at Bedford Esquires on 30 June; The Portland Arms, Cambridge on 7 July; and The Lexington, London on 11 August – were well received by critics and fans.