Japandroids: live

How much noise can two people make? I thought the decibel limit was set by Kat and Alfie from Eastenders or possibly Gordon Brown on a bad day, but it seems that Brian King and David Prowse can beat them all with the intense garage rock made by Japandroids. I used to really love this band three years ago when their debut Post-Nothing arrived with a huge slab of hype and a shimmer of reverb, but I had somewhat forgotten about them until quite recently. Their second album Celebration Rock sounds more mature but, while lacking much of the coverage that they once commanded, they continue to produce spectacular noise-pop. Japandroids may have disappeared from my radar for a while but when the chance to see them play at Heaven, I jumped at the opportunity.

The crowd in Heaven was absolutely packed in and the anticipation to see one of Vancouver’s finest exports (sorry 2010 Winter Olympic Games, you are not so cool) was tangible. Starting the night with “The Boys are Leaving Town” and newie “Adrenaline Nightshift” it was clear that Japandroids were a heavy proposition, much darker and louder than they are on record. And for two people, my God they are loud! The set was roughly divided 50:50 with songs from the new album and more well-known numbers. “Rockers East Vancouver” and “Wet Hair” were definitely highlights and the crowd gave a massive cheer to new single “The House that Heaven Built”. The one song, however, that I have always loved by Japandroids is “Crazy/Forever” and they certainly gave it justice with a thrilling performance.

Unfortunately, towards the end of the set the band struggled to overcome technical difficulties with vocal levels which slightly marred the show. Brian King admirably fought on and just ended up shouting to the audience: true punk spirit if ever I have seen it. Once the sound problems were fixed the show came to a thrilling finale with a cover of The Gun Club’s “For the Love of Ivy” . The band invited one lucky member of the crowd to come up and then stage-dive head first into the heaving crowd and be carried around in the air for as long as possible. One excitable fellow got up but then ruined his chance by trying to rep his own band. What a loser. And so, when the opening chords of song crashed into light there were huge cheers as one lucky guy had the time of his life being thrown around the adoring crowd while his favourite band totally destroyed his eardrums.

All in all it was a fantastic night. I had forgotten how fun straight up punk shows could be. Japandroids are so dedicated to their fans and it makes for a glorious night when their epic tunes combine with the sweat and shakes of a relatively small venue. A Friday night well spent!