HELLINGS – MAY 6, 2026 – THE WHISKY
On May 6th, Hellings stormed the Whisky a Go Go and chiseled their name into the annals of the venue’s history. The Whisky has played host to many legends over the years, but their recent lineups have been nothing short of a revelation for modern rock. Hellings’ set was moving and evocative, a winning group of ballads and anthems brought to towering life by frontman Brett Hellings and his impressive roster of bandmates: guitarists Jake Faun and John Ashton, vocalist Adi Argelazi, pianist Carey Frank, bassist Kristian Attard, drummer Andreas Brobjer, and saxophonist Katja Rieckermann. If that lineup sounds expansive, know that they are even more impressive. Every member of Hellings’ troop was invaluable, each player contributing ample talent and panache to Hellings’ chemical cocktail of rock greatness.
Brett Hellings
Hellings himself is a consummate showman. Long flowing hair, low-buttoned shirt, beaded sweat on his brow, squatting and leaping across the stage with leonine athleticism, possessed of angelic pipes and a devilish swagger – he simply oozes cool, no less than the platonic ideal of a rock star. His stage presence is the distillation of his musical identity: heartfelt and hard-rocking at the same time, possessed of that innate charisma that makes a tiring performance seem effortless.
Kristian Attard
Andreas Brobjer
Katja Rieckermann
The band’s set thundered to life with their opener, “Rehab for Love” and only kept elevating from there, reaching its peak with an epic, gyrating rendition of their new single, “Chance on Love.” The studio version (the debut release of what’s sure to be a thrilling EP) features the work of such legends as The Rolling Stones’ Darryl Jones and Guns N’ Roses’ Richard Fortus, and it is a testament to The Whisky lineup’s incredible performance that I honestly can’t say which I prefer. What I can say is that “Chance on Love” performed live is an awe-inspiring experience: a smooth ballad that gradually builds to a fiery extremity which seems it must be the song’s crescendo, and somehow keeps building from there.
Hellings performing at The Whisky a Go Go on May 6, 2026.
John Ashton
Jake Faun (left) and Adi Argelazi (right)
Other highlights included “Over You,” “A Fool in Love,” “Kill Me to Keep Loving You” and “Borderline,” all from Hellings’ 2024 EP Borderline. The band closed with an unreleased number titled “Power Trip,” providing a thrilling taste of the coming EP. With that, after a relentless half hour of pure rock, the band rocketed offstage.
Hellings commanding the stage at The Whisky a Go Go – May 6, 2026.
Carey Frank
Brett Hellings
The set was like the seaborn western winds familiar to any longtime resident of Los Angeles: mysterious, primal, unpredictable, seeming to arrive from nowhere and leaving with the same enigmatic grace. Like the wind, we can be sure of only one thing – Hellings will return. Be sure not to miss them; at this juncture, they are no less than one of modern rock’s most exciting voices.
Joaquin Waters
Hellings
Whisky a Go Go
Scott Waters Photography
