Japandroids

It's always nice to see a band grow, and Japandroids are a group that has absolutely exploded since their last Bonnaroo appearance. Given an afternoon slot back in 2010, the Vancouver duo played tracks from Post Nothing to a crowd that mildly bounced around and clapped politely. But this year's Thursday night set saw Brian King and David Prowse kick it into high gear from the opening chords of "Adrenaline Nightshift" to their token set closer "For the Love of Ivy." A full-fledged mosh pit took only seconds to break out, while crowd surfers were flying towards the stage at a much faster rate than security appeared to have anticipated. There was even a giant Japanese flag decorated with little robots flapping in the barely-there breeze the whole time. Bombarding the crowd with a wall of noise for an hour straight, Japandroids had the crowd screaming along to Celebration Rock favourites like "The Night of Wine and Roses," "Evil's Sway" and "The House That Heaven Built," and even slowed it down for self-described slow jam "Continuous Thunder." Older songs like "Young Hearts Spark Fire" and "Wet Hair" re-appeared at the festival this time around, which are still just as raucous live. There was an awkward moment between songs where the crowd thought chanting "U.S.A." would be fun, and while he took it in good stride, Prowse answered back with a "You guys know we're not from here, right?" The ensuing "Ca-na-da" yells put some people in their place, but regardless of their citizenship, Japandroids proved that they've come a long way in the last couple years and know how to turn sea of festival-goers into high-energy, anything-goes fans.