with Luluc
Capitol
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
It was a motley old crew of 90s grunge kids, with a smattering of young hipsters, that rocked up to Capitol Wednesday night – such is the reputation of a Dinosaur Jr live show. They’re never going to win points for a being the most polished, best dressed or best crowd interaction – but you know what to expect, and they deliver, without any bells or whistles – three great musicians turning it up to 11 and jamming out. And the alternative legends proved they’ve still got it and rock as hard, and as loud, as any band around after all these years.
Since forming in 1984, through their commercial peak in the early 90s following bassist Lou Barlow’s departure, to the break-up of the band in ’97, then the reforming of the original trio in 2007, there’s been consistent output. And despite all the band have been through, they have maintained a high standard over their 11 albums of trademark, droning, distortion-soaked fuzz-rock, led by J. Mascis’ scorching guitar riffs. Last year’s Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not saw the band in great form – with a sound harking back to their classic early 90s era – and the show focussed heavily on modern era Dinosaur Jr.
Indie-folk duo Luluc scored the support for the national tour, and were something of an odd choice. The Melbourne natives have had a great few years, relocating to Brooklyn and signing to Sub Pop, who released their acclaimed second album Passerby (co-produced by Aaron Dessner of The National). It seems they have a friend and fan in Mascis, despite the disparate sound of their bands.
As the gently picked acoustic chords and lush harmonies of Zoë Randell and Steve Hassett filled the room, some punters seemed a bit confused, overheard complaining that “it’s not a fucking folk festival!”
It did look pretty funny, Luluc playing in front of the mountain of speaker stacks set up for the headliners. But those with a bit more of an open mind were slowly won over by the subtle melodies and Randell’s beautiful, haunting voice, which despite being a bit hoarse on the night, has a timeless quality to it.
Towards the end they picked things up with Hassett letting rip with some nifty distorted solos of his own. They humbly thanked Dinosaur Jr. for having them along and played some new material from their upcoming album which they said will be out later this year, before finishing with a great take on Bowie’s underrated classic Quicksand.
Soon enough Dinosaur Jr. took the stage in their ever-nonchalant way, Mascis taking his position in front of his tower of amplification – two different Marshall amps and a Hiwatt – each with two giant quad boxes, as well as a sprawling array of effect pedals. As they launched into The Lung from 1987’s You’re Living All Over Me, his screaming guitar solo tore up the room. You were immediately struck by the sheer volume and density of their sound – especially after Luluc – perhaps an intentional juxtaposition.
You were also immediately reminded of what an underrated guitar genius Mascis is – his playing style is incredibly efficient and precise, yet so casual, he barely seems to be putting in any effort, though his solos are undeniably impressive. His unique, distorted sound was pioneering and influential to many bands in the 90s.
He is also known for his infamously withdrawn stage presence and crowd interaction. It’s just his style, he acts like no one’s really even watching and just gets on with it, preferring to let his guitar to the talking – his vocals and verses seem almost an afterthought to fill space until the next blazing solo.
“We’re gonna play some new songs now,” was about all he said, before jumping forward to Going Down from the new album. His distinctive drawling vocals have never really been a dominant part of the band’s sound, but tonight they seemed low and muddy in the overly loud mix, drowned out by the onslaught of guitars.
Murph, as ever, did a great job on the drums, keeping it locked down all night. Meanwhile, in complete contrast to the placid Mascis, Barlow was much more animated – throwing himself around, ferociously thrashing at his bass with big, full chord swipes, half-way up the neck, with his massive, curly mop of hair obscuring his face. After only a few songs, his shirt was drenched in sweat. He calmed down a little to step up to the mic and sing Love Is…
As is to be expected, the setlist heavily featured the new album, and other post-reformation records. Watch The Corners off 2012’s I Bet On Sky and Pieces from 2009’s Farm were suitably epic, while recent single Tiny was upbeat and almost poppy. The classic indie stylings of Crumble from 2007’s comeback record, Beyond, had the moshpit swaying and bouncing around.
It’s amazing how comfortably the newer material sits alongside older classics. The familiar riff of Feel The Pain was welcomed heartily by the crowd – they sped it up for the overdriven chorus, and then slowed it down again for the jangly verse. They delivered a few more favs near the end, with Start Choppin’ firing up the room, along with their seminal slacker hit Freak Scene from 1988’s Bug.
They finished fittingly with Gargoyle off their 1985 debut, Dinosaur. After a short break, Mascis ambled back out onstage appearing totally nonplussed, but you like to think he’s actually really enjoying himself on the inside – he must be to keep doing this – it’s like fulfilling some innate need the prolific songwriter has.
They finished with their popular cover of The Cure’s Just Like Heaven that features metal-like backing vocals from Barlow. And with a mumbled “Thanks” they were gone, leaving the crowd to stumble out into the night, with ears ringing. This old Dinosaur’s got some new tricks yet.
Words and photos by
ALFRED GORMAN
