Japandroids Played Mercury Lounge - Review, Pictures, Setlist

We've been drooling over Japandroids' record for a while now, so we were psyched when we learned the Vancouverites would be in New York. Last night at Mercury Lounge we caught the duo delivering a scalding hot (and extremely early) show to an enthusiastic crowd. The show had been added after their first date sold out, and judging by the heavy attendance last night, it was the right call.

To call the set frenetic would be an understatement: these guys are a blistering ball of energy that's every bit as loud, exciting, and heart-on-sleeve as the record. What's more, they manage to surpass the energy on the record, which, frankly, we would have thought impossible. To say the least: we likey. Very much.

The band's set, while short due to time constraints, was actually quite diverse. While they could have stuck to the "play the album" formula and made everyone happy, they instead made a concerted effort to mix it up. This included a new track, a cover, and the closing track of the show, which apparently is from a compilation. In short, the band delivered a setlist that was unexpected, which was nice to see when they've got one album to work from. Our only disappointment was the absence of "Wet Hair". It's a fave track on the record, and it was conspicuously absent.

While the show ended at 8:30 PM, we walked away from Mercury Lounge last night not only satisfied with our experience, but also satisfied that Japandroids live up to what's on the record. With such simple tunes and straight ahead production, there was a lot of potential for the live experience (especially from a duo) to be a let down. Last night's show was exactly the opposite: Japandroids delivered in spades. Get out there and see them.

Japandroids Setlist
--
Heart Sweats
Sovereignty
New Song (7" coming this fall, "Here's The Money Back"?)
Rockers East Vancouver
The Boys Are Leaving Town
Cover (McCluskey? To Hell?)
"Stage Jam"
Young Hearts Spark Fire
--
Crazy/Forever
Unknown Track

Many more pictures at the HAD Archive

Japandroids Remaining North American Dates
09/28/2009 Buffalo, NY Big Orbit's Soundlab
09/29/2009 Hamilton, ON Casbah
09/30/2009 Peterborough, ON Montreal House
10/02/2009 Montreal, QC Le Divan Orange (POP Montreal)
10/03/2009 Ottawa, ON Maverick's
10/04/2009 Quebec City, QC Le Cercle
10/05/2009 Boston, MA Great Scott
10/06/2009 Philadelphia, PA The Barbary
10/07/2009 Pittsburgh, PA Garfield Artworks
10/08/2009 Cleveland, OH Now That's Class
10/09/2009 Chicago, IL Schubas
10/13/2009 Dallas, TX The Cavern
10/14/2009 Austin, TX Emo's
10/16/2009 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jack's
10/17/2009 Atlanta, GA 529
10/18/2009 Chapell Hill, NC Local 506
10/19/2009 Washington, DC Rock and Rock Hotel