London Show Review

[scratch]

http://www.xfm.co.uk/Article.asp?id=92937

[King Tubby]

I like the concluding remark about "still waiting for the Husker Du reunion." If there’s one reunion even less likely than the Dino one, the Huskers would be it. I’d love to witness it, though.

[rambleon]

awesome …

Quote:

Dinosaur Jr, The Forum, June 8 2005

The guy standing next to Xfm, rivulets of sweat streaming down his grinning face, is saying something. He mouths words and gesticulates wildly but your correspondent can’t hear a damn word; J Mascis, master of the six-string onslaught, is unleashing yet another sonic maelstrom that can quite probably be measured on the Richter Scale.

Mascis’s twin Marshall stacks, bleeding from every speaker, are causing a seismic wave that threatens to knock the front line of the mosh-pit clear off of its feet. To his left, bassist Lou Barlow is whacking dirty, great bowel-rumbling chords on his Rickenbacker as drummer Murph knocks seven shades out of his drumkit. It’s fucking astonishing, but then so is the fact that this trio are sharing a stage once again.

After a gap of 16 years, the original line-up of one of the most influential rock bands of the late 80s has finally reconvened to once again assault the senses with their overdriven, fuzzed-up blitzkrieg. That it’s happening at all is noteworthy in itself; the inter-band violence and mind games that resulted in Lou Barlow’s underhand ejection from the band left deep psychological scars and much residual bitterness. While Dinosaur Jr became a solo vehicle for Mascis, Barlow went on to carve himself a career with Sebadoh and The Folk Implosion. Though the re-issues of the first three Dinosaur Jr albums earlier this year induced much whooping among those whose vinyl copies had long worn out, the news that these three volatile characters where to actually perform together was met with as much incredulity as joy.

Still, some portions of this sold-out crowd are whinging that the band performs nothing from the post-Barlow albums but churlish gripes aside, there’s plenty here to enjoy. This, after all, is the band that reclaimed the guitar from the poodle-permed Spandex community and helped pave the way for Nirvana. ‘Gargoyle’ sets the pace. Barlow howls intensely into his mic as Mascis, silver of hair and wider of girth, fires off sheets of white noise that threaten to peel the paint from the venue walls before wading in with his idiosyncratic whine. ‘Little Fury Things’ and ‘Repulsion’ sees the band up the thrill quotient; Mascis’ strumming hand becomes a blur while his left hand burns a groove into his fretboard as his extended soloing whips up an aural vortex that crosses the pain barrier into something altogether more hypnotic and pleasurable.

The anthemic ‘Freak Scene’ is greeted with a messianic fervour as bodies slam into each with scant concern for personal safety and The Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’ is bent and mangled out of shape before being sent scurrying away like a foaming, crack-addled pitbull. These aren’t so much songs as frames on which to hang dexterous, mind-melting workouts on and it’s glorious. The ears of the audience will be ringing long after Dinosaur Jr conclude this incredible and breathtaking show.

Still waiting for that Husker Du re-union, though.

Julian Marszalek

[Ro]

Hi y’all, just wanted to comment on the above review of the Forum show (8th) from XFM as i it was the 4th and, i thought, best show i’ve seen dinosaur jr play and it’s GOT to be because of the original line-up. Even made me join the forum instead of just reading it all the time.
Took 2 mates, 1 who thought he knew little of dino’s early stuff (and is a drummer) and the other who knew little or nothing pre green mind (guitarist) both thought it was excellent. Drummer especially blown away by Murph’s ferocity and speed! Not to mention the volume of it all!!
Damn fine, hope they come back for more gig’s again soon instead of imploding!

[andyfest]

Welcom, Ro! I’m heading to two shows in July and both times I’ll be with people who know little to nothing about Dino’s music. I hope they have the same reaction your friends did. If not, it will be the last show I go to with them

[Author]

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