The looming doom of the Mega-Storm that was destined to destroy our fair Midwestern metropolis of Columbus, Ohio never took full shape on a calm, balmy Wednesday night. The only devastating effects we happy music freaks felt were from the continuous thunder of Japandroids’ ear-splittingly loud live set.
Ripping through hits from last year’s “Album of the Year contender,” Celebration Rock as well as 2009’s dynamite debut Post-Nothing, the two noisy mothercanuckers, Brian King and David Prowse shook the show-goers harder than their one guitar and one set of drums arsenal seemed to suggest they were capable of doing.
And that’s just it.
Some duos in indie, rock, or whatever use their numbers as the gimmick, others as the excuse, and still some, like Japandroids make the argument invalid with a paradoxical power that bands twice their size and 2x their senior don’t possess.
That power was on full display too.
With a breakneck fury of crashing cymbals and slashing guitar, the band played an economical but enthusiastic and intense set that saw the duo draw from their not-so-secret but massively successful formula of shout-along oooh-oooh-oooh choruses with repeated and repeatable lyrics about girls, youth, love, death, and not giving a fuck.
Of course, these guys really do care – intensely.
The sweat-soaked stage and spent looks on the band’s faces at night’s end were the surest signs of the passion Brian and David poured into their show and we answered in kind and showed our gratitude with hoarse voices and ringing ears.
On a night that all Central Ohioans were never supposed to forget, it was only us happy music freaks lucky enough to see Japandroids, a band with a sound more mega than they appear and almost too big to play here, that would remember this night of wine and roses forever.
For more info visit www.japandroids.com