The Whigs are a band whose barrage of energy never ceases to amaze me. They opened for We Are Scientists and Kings of Leon recently, and shook the old bones of the Daughters of American Revolution Hall (DAR) to its core.
The second and most recent release by this Athens, GA three-piece, (Mission Control) is a powerful and ear-splitting cacophony of sound full of poppy goodness. While some bands have mixing help when recording, or play louder to cover the fact they really can't play their instruments, Parker Gispert (lead guitar/vocals), Julian Dorio (drums), and Tim Deux (bass) are each stellar in their playing abilities, who rip addictive melodies out and weave them seamlessly into each other. 
Gispert pogoed and stomped around the stage when he wasn't singing, so energetically at times he almost fell into Dorio's drum kit at least twice. Deux started out all stoic and calm compared to Gispert's always-in-motion-ness, but then broke out into a Rod Stewart/Mick Jaggar strut from time to time, standing on the speakers. Then there's Dorio who was the vortex around which this stage chaos swarmed. Dorio is a jackhammer of sound, a younger Keith Moon with long red hair that flailed around as uncontained as Dorio's drumming. As hard as he plays, it shocks me that Dorio doesn't break more sticks. Or passes out. He was visibly panting after many of the songs.
This DAR show is the third time I've seen The Whigs, and every time, they've blown me away with the amount of energy and intensity they play with, night after night. Much like another passionate showman, The Whigs can be summed up in two words: Raw Power. Don't look for any smooth songs for the lovers here.
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