Japandroids @ 9:30 Club

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Japandroids, an indie garage rock duo, recently released a new album, Near To The Wild Heart of Life. The Vancouver-based rock duo took the world by storm with their previous albums Celebration Rock, No Singles, and Post-Nothings. Their latest release, named after a line from the book A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, was released in mid January and solidifies their position as one of the coolest indie rock acts of the decade.

Their hits, including “No Known Drink or Drug,” “North East South West,” and “The House That Heaven Built,” propelled them into the mainstream with catchy riffs and energetic music videos, like the one below.

Their live performance at the 9:30 Club on February 28^th was an event that all should have seen. The duo is dedicated to making sure that rock and roll will not be forgotten. Standing up top on a balcony, I was able to see everything: from the band on stage, killing it on guitar and drums, to the crowd opening up a small mosh pit in the front. Everyone was dancing and they looked great under the neon lights that were projected at the show.

As the band played songs from their new album, including the catchy title track, the crowd screamed the lyrics back at them and hopped along to the beat. Later in the show, someone in the crowd was surrounded by friends screaming, “It’s his birthday!” The band overheard and decided to play a song from Post-Nothings for the guy. The birthday boy beamed up at the stage as they rocked out to one of their older songs. It honestly felt like a jam session among young teens, but with more experience and a screaming crowd.

Japandroids have such an originality about them that they lit the stage up easily. They could have played in the dark and everyone would have been happy. After seeing them live, I am honestly not shocked that there was barely any room to stand. They deserve every fan they’ve got. Please, if you haven’t, check them out!

Photo Credit: Japandroids Facebook