A NIGHT OUT WITH WHATMORE
Composed of Cisco Swank, Yoshi T., Jackson August, Sebastiano, and Elijah Judah, WHATMORE is the five-piece collective reshaping the edges of hip-hop, alt-R&B, and indie rock. The group was formed at LaGuardia High School, bonding over a shared love of sound that grew through countless DIY shows scattered across downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn. Their self-titled debut album traces that evolution—twelve tracks of boundless experimentation, fluidly moving between hip-hop, indie, alternative, and soul. Listeners have already drawn early Brockhampton comparisons, but WHATMORE’s chemistry is distinctly its own.
We caught up with the group just hours before they hit the stage for a sold-out night at Irving Plaza.
How did it feel to perform a sold-out show at Webster Hall?
Webster Hall has been a dream venue for all of us since our high school days. It was crazy to have all those people singing our songs and turning up with us in that place. We captured the energy in the room and it ended up feeling so natural.
The energy in the room during your performance was magnetic. How does it feel to close the tour in your home city?
INSANE. It was amazing to be surrounded by so many friends and family members to celebrate the end of something so exciting and fun, but also so grueling.
What does a typical day on tour look like for you guys? Does it differ from city to city?
Every day is a battle to make it out of the hotel/Airbnb before checkout time. We take as many free things as we can like cereal, tea, etc then compete to see who can drive the longest that day.
How do you take care of your mental and physical health while constantly moving?
It’s our first tour together, so we’re definitely figuring out what that looks like for all of us. But we spend so much time together when we’re home, piling into Elijah or Seb’s car to go somewhere. So in a way, we’re used to it. Jackson has a weighted stuffed animal named Copernicus.
Do you have a favorite venue you’ve played?
On top of a cargo van in Brooklyn.
Is there a song your fans go extra hard for that surprised you?
We were kind of surprised by how much people loved Bombay. It tends to feel a little slow among all the other hype ones, but people were asking us to perform it at every show
Do you guys have a favorite song to perform?
Jackie Chan
What’s one essential you never tour without?
Headphones
What does your pre-show ritual look like?
Remind each other that we’re the best band in the world then lock tf in.