Project Description
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The Brian Jonestown Massacre / Photo – @cdrimagery
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The Brian Jonestown Massacre
+ Druid Fluids
@ The Gov, Adelaide,
15th November 2023
(Live Review)
Review and photos by Colin Reid (@cdrimagery)
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The Brian Jonestown Massacre / Photo – @cdrimagery
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Local Adelaide band Druid Fluids open the show. They were great a great fit within an interesting mix of 60’s influenced psychedelic infused pop sounds. It was good to see they had their own following in the crowd and, with a solid set featuring some tracks for their recently released “Then, Now, Again & Again” album, will gain them new fans no doubt.
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Druid Fluids / Photo – @cdrimagery
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The crowd waited with much anticipation for Brian Jonestown. Which version of TBJM will we get tonight? Will they be sulky and sullen? Will they be feisty and fighting and if so with whom the audience or themselves?
They all swagger casually on looking very cool indeed. Anton sporting a cowboy hat and western shirt appears upbeat. Taking his phone out and rushing around the stage to snap the audience a few times. When I saw the band 10 years ago, they walked on stage played their songs barely spoking to audience and walked off at the end with little or no acknowledgement that we had been there. This time Anton calls out “God bless this country and all who love her”. If only his initial good humour was to last.
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The Brian Jonestown Massacre / Photo – @cdrimagery
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They open with ‘#1 Lucky Kitty’ from this year’s release “Fire Doesn’t Grow on Trees”, the band’s 20th studio album. Their liquid psychedelic music taking a hold of the crowd. They’re an exciting, unique band and they have the crowd in the palm of their hand.
A couple of songs in it’s not long until Anton starts on the first of his constant lengthy tuning of his guitar sessions, in between vaping and taking a drink. He imbibes us with his unique wisdom, rambling to the crowd. He covers his age, the fact he thought he’d be in the 27 club, his disgust at crowd members that whoop or holler who he instructs need to be quiet and to be humble. Then he is onto his anger at the auto tuning performers of today. It doesn’t stop, “just talk to me man”, “he thinks he’s a tough guy back there at the desk like John Wayne or something, you know he has seven undigested steaks in his stomach?”
When they play, they sound great once the vocals, which were a little low in the mix are fixed after Anton complains to the sound man. Their new album is solid, Anton is a musical genius his output of the years resulting in over 20 studio albums.
Next up Anton is getting riled with the lighting man “No more yellow lights” he glowers sinisterly “don’t you know they cause mental illness and there’s enough of that around”. Indeed.
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The Brian Jonestown Massacre / Photo – @cdrimagery
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Their wall of psychedelic genius is frequently halted by lengthy adjustments. One time Anton takes issue with one of the other guitarists mid song. Admonishing him to the crowd Anton says “he says I don’t care about the lyrics”. A little later, their confrontation escalates with a raised middle finger and a fuck you from guitarist to which Anton responds to by ripping his shirt open and striding aggressively over towards him fists clenched, somehow there a no blows exchanged. The gig continues but it isn’t long before it is the drummers turn to end up on Anton’s warpath and feel his disgust. The guitarist once again gives Anton the finger. Are we witnessing the on-stage break up of the band? Their interactions chaotically keep on this path. Joel continues with his tambourine just gazing upward at the ceiling and zoning out. Anton says “I love this guy Joel”. There is a heavy unfolding danger and drama to this band.
Watching BJM is simply a spectacle who knows what you’ll get on the evening? When they play they sound brilliant but in-between it is a mess; half of the gig they aren’t actually playing. Anton is endlessly re-tuning his guitars, rambling to audience or ranting at fellow band members. It becomes a pattern. 5 minutes of music followed by 5 minutes of tuning and chaos. Is he deliberately sabotaging the gig? Is everything really wrong with the sound, the lighting, the tuning if the guitars, the performance of the rest of the band? He is a perfectionist. Maybe he hears, sees and experiences on a different level and is incapable of accepting anything less than what he believes to be flawless excellence. It is a shame; the new material is great and when they do play it is sounds fabulous. Do we just have to accept that Anton is having one of those days? Another incredibly long break, easily longer than the last song. More endlessly tuning and fiddling with guitars. I think this is just Anton, he can’t help himself and doesn’t give a damn if the crowd or the band have to wait whilst he gets everything just right.
It has been an evening full of dark and maddening tension mostly created by Anton. BJM is all his vision, his creation and he is the mad genius driven to create this brilliant sound. He has a singular vision and he drives it mercifully. His perfectionism and intolerance made for a brooding tension and all night it felt like anything could kick off on the stage. If you were right up the front, witnessing all the dramas unfold, you would have been privy to the on stage in-fighting, to the tension and the ever-present drama. However, if you weren’t close enough to witness all the interactions it was easy to become disengaged. When they were playing they were amazing but the problem was they didn’t play enough.
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The Brian Jonestown Massacre / Photo – @cdrimagery
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Check out Colin Reid’s (@cdrimagery) full gallery of this event HERE
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The Brian Jonestown Massacre / Photo – @cdrimagery
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Press Release 5th July 2023 (below) HERE
Principal Entertainment present
THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE
Australia 2023
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