Lions Den and Albert Hall became home to Brian Jonestown Massacre for the Manchester date of their UK tour. Across a three-legged evening, I witnessed a Joel Gion Q&A, the 60s revivalists bringing their psychedelic sound to a sold-out crowd, and (almost) partied with the band at a rowdy after-hours event.
I cannot remember whether my obsession with The Brian Jonestown Massacre began before watching Dig! or if the infamous 2004 documentary was the catalyst. Whichever it was, the Ondi Timoner-directed classic that charts The Brian Jonestown Massacre and their love/hate relationship with The Dandy Warhols had a massive impact on my teenage ideology. At the time of release, it seemed like The Dandy Warhols came out on top as their track ‘Bohemian Like You’ became a global hit due to its use in a Vodafone advert, while the Jonestown Massacre was left penniless, strung out and in complete disarray.
However, whilst the Dandy’s success was fleeting, the time has been kinder to BJM. In recent years, they have become cult heroes and a regularly touring, self-sufficient band with a 20-album catalogue of quality output. After a string of well-received shows in Leeds, Glasgow and Liverpool on the UK leg of their European tour, it looks as if Manchester Albert Hall will be treated to a more functional band than their past reputation might suggest.
Thanks to Broken Wings Club promotions, I arrive at Lions Den for the first part of the night – a pre-party and Q&A with BJM’s own Mr Tambourine Man, Joel Gion and host, Manchester punk father John Robb. Pint in hand, I head upstairs as Joel steps on stage, humorously and presumably coincidentally, to The Dandy Warhol’s ‘We Used To Be Friends’.
“I don’t think you were expecting to walk out to that song, were you?” Robb asks before Gion begins reading from a section of his new autobiography, In the Jingle Jangle Jungle: Keeping Time with the Brian Jonestown Massacre. The reading is a success and has the audience both engaged and amused – Gion is full of his trademark wit and charisma as he delivers scattergun prose in a Kerouac-esque beat style. Fittingly, the passage tells the story of Oasis’ notorious string of disastrous US shows fueled by super-strength speed first introduced to them by Gion himself.
Guided by probing questions from Robb, Gion then gives an honest and reflective insight into various topics, such as joining BJM, his self-proclaimed role as a court jester, and the writing process. Gion also claims autobiography two is complete and that a ’90s Britpop paranoid thriller’ is also in the works.
Dig XX, an expanded version of the original documentary with the added treat of Gion’s commentary to balance out Courtney Taylor-Taylor’s sneering and to give “bad excuses for why we’re going nuts,” is set for a limited UK theatrical release at the end of March. With the Q&A done, I head back downstairs for more pints before bidding a temporary farewell to Lions Den.
After a spirited interlude in Salford to gear up for the main event, I arrive at a brimming Albert Hall as BJM takes the stage. The crowd erupts in a chorus of cheers as the band enters the red, neon-lit stage one by one, the loudest cheer being for tambourinist Gion, and soon enough, they fire into the first track of the night, ‘Maybe Make It Right’. Filled with a barrage of thunderous guitars and distorted vocals, it sets the bar high for the rest of the night.
The instantly recognisable opening riff of ‘Vacuum Boots’ and, despite the band needing multiple attempts to get going, ‘That Girl Suicide’ are other early highlights and some of the few tracks played from BJM’s earlier years. “It’s Valentine’s Day, and I love you,” says renowned band leader Anton Newcombe from behind shades and a wide-brimmed western-style hat.
Another minor disruption ensues as the band messes around with the various amps, pedals and instruments that litter the stage. “Well, get going,” an impatient Newcombe tells his band as the audience holds a collective breath and wonders how serious he is and if this is the night their newly found harmony will terminate. Thankfully, the on-stage tranquillity persists as BJM fires into ‘Do Rainbows Have Ends’, an introspective number from their most recent album, The Future Is Your Past.
Despite an argument over the arrangement sheet and a few false starts, ‘Fudge’ offers an insight into the slow-tempo, harmony-coated myriad of BJMs talents and feels like a song plucked straight from the late ’60s. Afterwards, Newcombe informs the audience that he began playing the wrong song. While it’s nice to see him take accountability rather than play into his unforgiving, tyrannical stereotype, it emphasises a key issue in the performance – a lack of flow and spontaneity.
The latter set highlight, ‘When Jokers Attack’, ends in an impressively intense shoegaze soundscape before being usurped for the song of the night by their best-known hit, ‘Anemone’. The moody grooves and laid-back, storied sound go down a treat, earning an audience sing-along during its familial chorus: ‘You should be picking me up, instead you’re dragging me down’.
Krautrock-infused ‘Vad Hände Med Dem?’ offers a welcome change of tempo and sees a seldom sight of rocking bodies and mosh pits at the front of the crowd while the underrated ‘Servo’ and its hypnotic, jangly repetitiveness winds things down in a triumphant manner.
I make an ill-timed trip to the toilet and unfortunately only manage to hear glimpses of set closer ‘Super Sonic’ from the urinal. After beating the burgeoning crowds, exiting the Albert Hall, and cutting through a side street, I’m met by the mirage-like vision of Anton and Joel in conversation. The pair hug, and as Anton makes his way to the tour bus, I catch up to Joel on his way back to Lion’s Den to wish him luck on his impending slot as the after-party DJ.
A festive atmosphere is pertinent as I arrive back at Lion’s Den. There is a mixture of opinions concerning BJM’s performance from the after-party attendees, which feels fitting for a band so divisive. As we anxiously await Joel’s set, the man himself stumbles away from the venue and, followed by a crowd of hangers, vanishes into the night. Despite a lingering shred of disappointment that we won’t see him behind the decks tonight, it begs the question: what can you expect from a member of the world’s most unpredictable band?
PHOTO CREDIT – HELS MILLINGTON
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