Japandroids are living the life that David Wooderson could only imagine—at least in song form. The Vancouver duo’s songs tread familiar youthful territory: boozing, cruising for chicks and trying to hold on to that last-day-of-school-feeling forever.
None of these sentiments are new, but guitarist Brian King and drummer David Prowse managed to add a unique, overblown twist during Saturday’s sold-out show at the Rock and Roll Hotel. The band’s sophomore record Celebration Rock takes all that good stuff we love about rock music—massive riffage and punding drums—ties it to a missile and blasts it into the stratosphere. The floor fan blowing King’s hair into perfect rockstar poses was a nice touch.
But, if Japandroids are shooting for the nosebleeds, they have enough stage presence to fill much larger rooms than the ones on H Street. Not halfway through the wildly appropriate opener “The Boys Are Leaving Town” the room smelled of spilled beer, sweat and heavy overtones of bromance. Many fists were pumped and high-fives given. Overzealous and off-key, the audience helped—for better or worse—the band power through the majority of the band’s latest album and choice cuts from their 2009 debut Post-Nothing.
Prowse and King’s rapport and devotion to rock sell their weaker points. Eye-roll inducing lyrics on paper (“Remember that night you were already in bed / Said ‘fuck it’ got up to drink with me instead”) are rebuilt into a nostalgia-filled powerhouse of a single. King bounded across stage without a misstep. The duo were the tightest they’ve been in their recent visits to D.C., towering through their small, but strong, catalogue of songs.
With Celebration Rock longlisted for a Polaris Prize (and more likely than not will end up on the 2012 shortlist), this might be the last you see of Japandroids in a room smaller than The Black Cat’s mainstage. If they keep committing themselves to their songs like they did Saturday night, it won’t matter if they’re playing to 20 people—or 20,000.
Setlist
The Boys Are Leaving Town
Adrenaline Nightshift
Younger Us
Fire’s Highway
Rockers East Vancouver
The Night Of Wine And Roses
Wet Hair
Evil’s Sway
The House That Heaven Built
Crazy/Forever
Sovereignty
Continuous Thunder
Young Hearts Spark Fire
For The Love Of Ivy
