With ‘Post Nothing’ having been my favourite album of 2009 this was surprisingly the first time id managed to see Japandroids live, despite them playing four London shows in October all of which I managed to miss due to either a lack of funds or other gigs already planned. So this ICA show had been hyped up in my mind for quite a few weeks.
Due to work commitments I was unable to arrive in Charing Cross for the start, thus missing the opening act Talons, however I managed to catch most of the second support band, Male Bonding. The Dalston three piece you may have seen supporting various cross Atlantic bands as well as their share of headline events across the capital. They have deservedly received a fair amount of acclaim with their brand of DIY lo-fi post-punk, including a track featuring on the latest Rough Trade counter culture compilation. They achieved a positive reception from the crowd where I hope and expect to catch them at some other point in the not too distant future.
So, having been a bit sceptical as to how Vancouver duo would compare on the stage as they do so fantastically on record I was pleasently surprised as to how well they pulled off an hour and a half set with only an albums worth of material under their belts. They seemed to display an endless amount of energy which seem to be a common occurrence with two piece acts, although it took around the midway point of their set until a similar sort of energy transferred towards the audience inside the sold out venue.
The Canadians mixed their set with the majority of Post Nothing as well material from their Lullaby Death Jams EP and previously unreleased tracks, of which are set to be available on their forthcoming series of 7” singles. I was also impressed with the sound at the ICA, where the band sounded clear and heavy with the beats, riffs and vocals requiring very little technical hitches, with exception of both Brian King and David Prowse’s vocal mics slipping every so often.
The band did seem reliant on a couple of covers to perhaps make up some of their time allocation, however they both seemed to go down very well. The first which apparently has been a live favourite for some time was an exquisite interpretation of the Big Black track ‘Racer-X’. The other which happened to close a set that is usually ended with ‘Young Hearts Spark Fire’, was an epic cover of ‘To Hell With Good Intentions’ by Mclusky, at the point where the crowds focus was drawn towards the 4 minute stage dive by an audience member due to strong recommendation from the band.
Further more, the interaction between the band and the audience was a wonderful and entertaining occurrence, where King mentioned on more than one occasion how they enjoy performing in London and genuinely seemed overwhelmed with the gig at the end. This I felt was viewed largely amongst the spectators as well, in an evening that involved an awesome live performance from my favourite band of last year and an excellent new t-shirt from the merch desk to boot. Happy days.
Words and Images by Freddy Rothman
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