Japandroids is a band that has always had one question in mind — how much noise can one guitar and one drumset make? This rock ‘n’ roll duo from Vancouver, Canada, has never thrived off of sophisticated song structures or elaborate stage presences. Instead, it’s just guitarist and vocalist Brian King forcefully strumming his way through some guitar chords while drummer David Prowse wails away on his drumkit. It’s the kind of drunken rock ‘n’ roll that could fall apart at any moment, but the songs barely get by without becoming unhinged. This is the type of lightning you can’t quite capture in the bottle of a studio record. Thankfully, Japandroids rolled through Charlottesville Saturday night to remind the audience how much kinetic energy two guys can bring to the stage.
Much of this energy comes down to King hands-down having the best guitar tone in the game. His distortion makes every chord feel frenetic and alive, but there’s just enough room for melody for the riffs to burrow deep into the subconscious and never let go. This tone has always been a huge part of why classic albums like “Celebration Rock” are a joy to listen to, and it translates perfectly to a live setting. Thanks to only these two real instruments in the band, the duo never competed against each other for space in the live mix. Each of King’s chords and Prowse’s drum hits both rang out with perfect clarity across the Jefferson Theater.
As such, every song became its own experience without the pretense of larger stage effects. It was pure, unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll — King would take shots of liquor as Prowse started a song’s drum intro, and over-the-top guitar heroics were neglected in favor of swagger and stage presence. It was refreshing to just watch a guitar player in skinny jeans live out a rock god fantasy while still feel grounded in reality.
The set-list was heavily bent towards Japandroids’ 2017 “Near To The Wild Heart of Life,” with the majority of the album finding its way into the spotlight with the glaring omission of “In A Body Like A Grave.” It’s a shame because “Grave” was easily one of the better tracks off the album, with a finale that feels written for the stage. Each track generally received a big boost in the live setting. In particular, the first half of “No Known Drink Or Drug” came alive without being muffled by the album’s production. Fans of the older material had nothing to fear — more than half of “Celebration Rock” snuck its way in the setlist, including its iconic closer “Continuous Thunder” and the anthemic masterpiece, “The House That Heaven Built.”
Japandroids has always written music about the reckless passions of youth, but it wouldn’t mean much if they couldn’t translate that same energy into their live shows. “Near To The Wild Heart of Life” was an album that saw the duo start to grow up, yet it’s reassuring that Japandroids’ live shows can still carry this youthful energy over a decade into the band’s career.
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