Japandroids End Their Long Tour with a Rousing Maxwell's Show

Brian King (left) and David Prowse of Japandroids at Maxwell's Wednesday night.

During Wednesday night's show at Maxwell's in Hoboken, Brian King of Japandroids announced that this was their first ever show in New Jersey. As it turns out, he and bandmate Dave Prowse couldn't have chosen a more appropriate place for their first concert in the Garden State, which also happened to be the last date on their lengthy tour.

After more than a year and around 250 gigs, Japandroids wrapped things up with sore voices but energy to spare at the club that for more than 30 years has hosted a who's who of up-and-coming artists. R.E.M. played there in 1981 (back when Michael Stipe still had hair), and since then the Maxwell's stage has hosted performers ranging from Beck to The Fall to Throwing Muses, The Donnas, and Sleater-Kinney.

I had heard lots of good things about Japandroids over the last year and a half, but had never seen them live until last night, having missed three previous shows for a variety of reason. The show had all the sound and fury I expected, and though Japandroids have gotten enough acclaim and great press to have developed swelled heads, Brian King sounded remarkably modest onstage, several times thanking the crowd for coming out for a mid-week show.

By the time Japandroids tour again, their popularity may preclude them playing a venue as small as Maxwell's (which holds about 200); they've already played much larger venues in New York. But it was great to see them in such an intimate space.