So I finally got to see Brian Jonestown live.

[Boogus Epirus Aurelius]

And it was by far the most sonic live performance I've ever been to.

Ignoring the heated argument I got into with the parking lot attendant beforehand, it was a brilliant evening. My other friends flaked, so it was just my girlfriend and myself. The Turner is a crusty old second floor ballroom and I couldn't really picture them playing anywhere else.

We arrive in plenty of time and mingled with the other earlies and took a spot at the edge of the stage. Anton was there the whole time fiddling with his laptop and seemed to be in his perpetually standoffish mood but when we approached him for a handshake, he was actually very friendly and personable. He took a few minutes and chatted with some of us and returned to his playlist of music that he was belting out through the PA.

Cover band started playing about twenty minutes late and they were actually great. Their lead was fantastic and they incorporated a sitar into the mix. lo-fi shoegaze with a sitar leading the charge is an incredible way to start things off. I got to meet Matt Hollywood who decided to mingle in the crowd beforehand. He was all sulky.

After about forty five minutes they ducked out, leaving another healthy chunk of time for BJM to set up. The ballroom was filling up and getting sweaty.

Finally they took stage and with the air of being alone in a practice space,they kicked off with a loose and guitar saturated jam. It was a fucking brick wall of sound. The experience of four guitars washing over you is pretty intense. And that's pretty much how things went. There was no acknowledgment of us even being there. They just played and when they were done, they would kick into the next song right away. Matt and Joel the Tambourine man were both there from the original line up, but I didn't recognize the other guys.

It was almost exhausting, being exposed to that absolutely constant wash of sound, but I loved every minute of it. Somebody broke one of the twelve string guitars and Anton went into one of his signature flip-outs. His irritation spread into the next song when he decided to cut it short and skip it altogether asking the band if "they've ever even heard the fucking song before".

I'd see them again in a heartbeat. They didn't linger on the newer "my bloody underground" shit (which sucked) but played pretty much every single one of their old standards. I heard everything I wanted to hear. I'm still stoked.

And that's the story of that. 

[burzumfan420]

my bloody underground is probably my fave record (probably cos it was my first)

did they play anything off of Who Killed Sgt Peppers?

[sans culottes]

I'm very jealous. I hope they come to Texas some time soon, because I really want to see them. Did their performance, in the year 2010, seem anything like the impression I got from DiG?

[Boogus Epirus Aurelius]

Did their performance, in the year 2010, seem anything like the impression I got from DiG?

I'd have to say it was pretty spot on to the vibe from the documentary. They just played. There were no breaks. Just a sludgefeast of music.
And as things wore on and more drinks were consumed (minus anton who only had a red bull) things got looser and more chaotic.

Really, if you like any of their music and you have half a chance to see them, do it, especially now that matt and joel are back.

[sans culottes]

It's a shame that they don't appear to be headed to Texas very soon.