Live Review :: Brian Jonestown Massacre :: Ritz, Manc - Jul 10 2014

Live Review

Brian Jonestown Massacre

Ritz, Manchester

July 10 2014

Words/photos: Leanne Crowley

So, Brian Jonestown Massacre roll into Mancheste's glitzy Ritz venue on this sunny Thursday evening and the psychedelic buzz in the air is palpable. The band, who need no introduction to any psych fan, come fresh in the wake of a highly hyped Glastonbury set and the release of new album ‘Revelation' in May.

Tonight's openers are Chinese noise punk trio, Birdstriking, who quickly set the scene for a special night to come with their unique blend of charisma and skill. The crowd rock along enthusiastically, despite not understanding a word, but then why should that prevent the enjoyment? Certainly doesn't in this case.

All eight of BJM emerge to take to the dimly light stage and spread themselves across its impressive size -making full use of the (adapted) adage that the size of the space is everything. They head off with ‘Whoever You Are' in a fair fashion and to enthusiastic crowd approval, but it is next up, ‘Who?', that really kicks off proceedings. The members on stage couldn't really look like much more of a bunch of misfits if you plucked them off the street at random, and yet somehow, here and now, it works. The crowd show their appreciation by chanting ‘Who?' back happily at them.

Frontman Anton Newcombe's vocal is highlighted on ‘Food For Clouds', a track from ‘Revelation' and an upbeat number with specialised synth sounds and an impressive amount of reverb playing tricks on the eardrums that manage to turn it into something magical. A nice one to dance along to and the crowd don't miss the opportunity. This is swiftly followed by rattling through ‘Got My Eye On You' and ‘The Devil May Care (Mom and Dad Don't)'.

A warm and mellow vibe takes hold through ‘Goodbye Butterfly' and ‘Anenome', the latter offering more of a traditionally shoegaze feel which is not always closely linked to BJM. ‘Nevertheless' sees Joel Gion come into his own with its percussion highlighted under the ever-driving presence of the guitars. ‘Not If You Were The Last Dandy On Earth' sees us to the half-way point through whst transpires to be a monster two-hour set; and although the crowd do not appear overly emphatic in their applause, they are certainly appreciative.

A whirlwind takes hold then as the band traverse their current and back catalogue with highlights coming in the form of ‘Days, Weeks And Moths', ‘Prozac Vs Heroine' and ‘Servo' - a particular set highpoint with the guitar prowess of the band shining through in all its glory. The only problem here that I can find is that the set seems somewhat disjointed. It is clear the songs span several different incarnations of the band - Newcombe being the constant throughout - and therefore it is not surprising that his performance outshines the rest.

Stepping right back to where it began with ‘That Girl Suicide' (which even more than two decades after its original release still sounds as fresh as ever), the band draw to an eventual close with a traditional psych jam of a track, ‘When Jokers Attack'. There is no encore on offer tonight and the crowd disperse with an overall warm fuzzy feeling and a sense that tonight has been a walk through time with the BJM. Gigs like this do not come around very often.