Japandroids were at the center of one of our biggest Pitchfork dilemmas of the weekend (the other involved Wavves and Yeasayer, and we ended up regretting our decision on that one), playing at the same time as Walkmen late on Sunday afternoon. It didn’t take a lot of discussion to settle on Japandroids, and luckily this time we absolutely made the right call. We made no secret of our affection for their debut album, Post-Nothing, which we REVIEWED just a few short weeks ago, and their live set did not betray our lofty expectations. One of our favorite things about their studio material, the duo’s no-nonsense attitude and straight forward style, came through from the moment they took the stage. Singer/guitarist Brian King immediately addressed the crown promising witty banter and plenty of rock and delivered on both accounts. Performing with the drum kit turned sideways at the front of the stage ala Black Keys, King and drummer Brian Prowse turned in a high-octane set of anthemic rock free of any type of frills or pretense. With an industrial fan strategically positioned below the microphone stand, the gusting winds that blew King’s hair all about only added to the arena feel of the set and combined with the thunderous aural assault to make me feel like I was catching them at a packed Wembley Stadium rather than on a side stage at a festival. Unfortunately I can’t provide you with any details of the setlist because I was busy rocking out like a mad man, which should give you a pretty good idea what the overall experience was like.
Japandroids – Young Hearts Spark Fire
