The Brian Jonestown hit Wellington's Bodega last night as part of their New Zealand tour.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre's Anton Newcombe. Photo: Unknown
Going to see a band whose name is a portmanteau of a Rolling Stones' guitarist and a shocking mass cult suicide might have you wondering what you’re in for. If you haven’t spent a lot of time engrossed in the music of Brian Jonestown Massacre, seeing them live could be like a baptism by fire of sorts.
As part of their New Zealand tour, the band touched down last night at Wellington’s Bodega. The opening act, locals Hiboux, kicked things off, creating a charged air with their instrumental and atmospheric set. Lacking lyrics, lead guitars helped the music from descending into what could have been earnestness. Meanwhile, the looping progressions wandering and building in each song, some seemingly containing orchestral-like movements, created an impressive sound to be immersed in.
Bodega was starting to get relatively cramped as the audience prepared for the stars of the evening. Cheers rang out as the band members came on stage, but the loudest ones were reserved for the one constant member of the Jonestown line-up -singer/songwriter, guitarist and founder Anton Newcombe.
The seven musicians took their place and opened with ‘Never Ever’ from their debut album Spacegirl & Other Favorites. It immediately set the tone for the evening, one where we were invited to groove away in a wash of sound.
But four songs in, and part way through ‘Goodbye (Butterfly)’ from their 2014 release Revelation, the squealing feedback became even too much for the band. Newcombe stopped them short, apologising as the band checked their gear and the sound desk played with the dials (“Sorry, but that sucked,” he said). After a short break, the band launched back into it.
During the set, it was hard not to be enamoured with Joel Gion, the percussionist on tambourines and maracas. He was effortlessly nonchalant and looked somehow familiar. With a bit of a search, it turns out he appeared as a tambourine player in Gilmore Girls.
‘Anemone’, the band’s biggest ‘hit’ - though I’m not sure Newcombe would believe he was in it for the hits - had everyone singing along to its melancholic and catchy hook. (“You should be picking me up/ instead you're dragging me down. / now I'm missing you more / cause baby you're not around”.)
There weren’t many songs from their latest offering, Musique de Film Imagine, a soundtrack for an imaginary French film, but with 14 studio albums and 13 EPs worth of music to draw on there was still plenty to take in and enjoy for first timers and diehard fans alike. ‘The Devil May Care (Mom and Dad Don’t)’ bought loud cheers from the audience, while bodies were swaying to ‘Straight Up And Down’ and ‘Who?’ had everyone whooping in unison.
Getting on stage sometime before 9.30pm, the band played for over two and half hours before returning for an encore. It was fantastic for the fans and a great way for newcomers to immerse themselves.
The music of Brian Jonestown Massacre creates a wonderful ambiance, one where even though you’re standing in a sweaty hot venue on a Wellington evening, you’re simultaneously transported to lying in a field, sun streaming down and a cool breeze rolling by. They’re a band that deserves to be heard loud and live.