San Diego’s The New Kinetics brought their blistering brand of rock and roll to the Whistlestop on Friday night. Following an affable performance by fellow locals The Mashtis — who were celebrating the release of their new 7-inch A Canopy of Sundays — The New Kinetics’ rough-and-tumble set went off like a pipe bomb. Frontwoman Birdy Bardot cooed and wailed her way through tracks like “Riffle Raff” and “Cha Cha,” her careening vocals slicing through the surging guitars and crackling drums like they were butter. For their final feat, the band capped the night with an ambitious cover of “Johnny B. Goode” that would have stopped Chuck Berry in his tracks. Hot damn.

Photos – The New Kinetics at the Whistlestop – December 9, 2011