Japandroids & DIIV, The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto

Japandroids and DIIV have been two of the most celebrated rock bands of 2012 (and DIY Albums Of 2012 honourees), so the decision to end the year with a brief joint tour across eastern North America is a treat for anyone able to make it in the flesh. It’s as if music bloggers are playing God.

Based on their recordings, Japandroids are seemingly the louder of the two bands, as DIIV’s wistful indie pop has more of a graceful, soaring feel to it. But in a hazy cloud of smoke, the Brooklynites present cuts from their self-titled debut with a much rawer, noise-driven abandon.

Frontman Zachary Cole Smith bounces around like a superball as he contributes to the sonic blast, which more than anything has the intensity of shoegaze noiseniks like My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver. ‘How Long Have You Known’ is doubled in speed, and the stirring ‘Doused’ becomes borderline punk, as they race through it with hardcore passion that peaks with Smith’s uncharacteristic screams.

Japandroids’ stock has risen considerably in their ‘second hometown’ since the summer when they sold out a venue half the size of the Phoenix. Thanks to the all-ages crowd, the band are forced to open up the stage to a stage-diving free for all. But not without conditions. Guitarist / singer Brian King sets a ten-second rule for anyone setting foot on stage, and the stage divers – all 100 or so of them – oblige with shit-eating grins. (Even Prowse’s younger cousin wasn’t exempt.)

The animated environment, which featured airborne jackets and lost shoes, feels customized for the band’s celebratory, sweat-drenched rock show. King and drummer David Prowse are definitely up for it too, rolling through the entirety of latest album ‘Celebration Rock’, as well as most of debut ‘Post-Nothing’ in the blink of an eye.

There is a bit of trouble synching the vocals on more collaborative tracks like ‘The Boys Are Leaving Town’ and ‘Art Czars,’ but that doesn’t seem to take much away from the performance. After a rousing version of ‘Younger Us,’ King proclaims, “You guys just went from Pluto to the centre of the universe in one fucking song!”

These flattering declarations go a long way, and they definitely repay long-time fans when they broke out a rare cover of Mclusky’s ‘To Hell With Good Intentions’ - the first song they ever recorded.

Though they need to take a breather, they opt not to play the encore card. Instead they slow things down with their “sensitive song” Celebration Rock’s torch effort, ‘Continuous Thunder,’ before wrapping up with former anthem ‘Young Hearts Spark Fire’ and their riotous Gun Club cover ‘For The Love Of Ivy.’

Their biggest Canadian show to date establishes that there are bigger things and bigger venues still to come for Japandroids. They’ve been sweating across the world, spreading their nostalgic rock virus. You’d have to be dead inside not to want this infection.