For a two piece band, the Canadian rockers that make up Japandroids certainly know how to make a lot of noise.
Formed in 2006, Brian King and David Prowse's band caught the public's attention through a combination of an interesting portmanteau, angry lyrics and energetic live shows.
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| Incredible artwork |
In celebration of the band's third studio album, Near to the Wild Heart of Life, which was released in January this year, the duo headed to London for a special gig.
A secret East London venue, a 360° pit design stage and the promise of a very late night set the scene for Wednesday's antics.
Supported by the wonderfully angry Yowl (known for such songs as My Headache Likes To Speak) and the even angrier Bad Breeding, Japandroids entered the pit just after 10pm. What followed was an explosive evening of old classics and new material.
The title track from the new album kicked off proceedings and was well received. As is often the case certain songs pleased the crowd more than others, but on the whole the setlist was well chosen to encourage everyone to keep dancing.
It became clear that, while in theory the 360° stage meant everyone would get a good view of King (guitar, vocals) and Prowse (drums, vocals), there was one side which got particularly rowdy. Intrigued, I headed over to investigate.
What followed was a sweaty and intense dance/mosh experience. Crowd surfing and general (lighthearted) crushing ensued, and I amusingly noticed a lonely deodorant rolling along the beer-covered floor. We definitely needed that by the end of the evening.
The duo managed to keep the intensity going throughout the hour and a half set, finishing with a energetic rendition of The House That Heaven Built. A sweaty yet euphoric audience screamed along to the chorus 'And if they try to slow you down/ Tell 'em all to go to hell'.
And that was very much my takeaway from last night. When we were in the pit, nothing mattered apart from the music and how much enjoyment we get out of it. Nothing can slow down Japandroids - or its fans - at the moment.
