I’m travelling all the way to Hull to witness Amherst trio, Dinosaur Jr play a way overdue show. Touring in support of their latest long player Sweep Into Space, an album that was released quite a bit more than a year ago, the band finally get to share with us their live interpretation of their latest songs. I can’t wait. The two-hour drive to the venue enables me to take some long, deep breaths to calm myself for the coming riot of sound. One of the loudest bands I’ve ever witnessed, Dinosaur Jr are legendary for their almost impossibly loud, live performances. Sometimes, this is to the detriment to the more subtle elements of the music. However, the visceral nature of the overall experience cannot be denied. Dinosaur shows are such an assault on the senses usually. You feel the music as well as hear it. Tonight I’m prepared for anything. I’ve missed this band throughout the Covid nightmare and I’m thoroughly excited for the show.
Opening tonight’s sonic celebrations are North London’s old school punkers Eater. Originally formed in 1976, Eater were punk pioneers, headlining shows at the legendary Roxy Club with seminal bands like The Damned playing support. The bands’ CV is impressive and their single Thinking Of The USA is widely lauded as a British punk classic so I’m quite humbled in the presence of Andy Blade the singer of Eater, who is the only original member present.
The rest of the band consists of the members of Jo Jo and The Teeth. They (Eater) have just released the album Ant and a single Fifteen so the band from ’77 have re-emerged in 2022 with vigour anew and seem to be on a mission. Eater fills the stage with energy and passion. Having not much had this band on my radar at any point I didn’t know what to expect. I really enjoyed a set that seemed to pass too quickly. I didn’t know the songs to my shame because they are really good songs. Heartfelt and delivered with angst but at the same time, the joyous, frenzied musicians make sure that this show is a celebration of some really great punk rock tunes. Andy Blade looks like just what he is, a veteran punk rock frontman that speaks plainly, firmly and with conviction. J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr) joins Eater on stage for their last two songs. J looks like he is living out one of his musical fantasies and I’m so happy for him getting the chance to share the stage with one of his heroes. Like I mentioned, I don’t know the songs but I’m 100% sure they played Fifteen and their aforementioned classic Thinking Of The USA.
Eater were a treat. The venue is probably three quarters full, which makes for a sizeable crowd and they are thoroughly warmed up and a palpable sense of anticipation fills the air as the fuzzy legend, Lou Barlow (Dinosaur bass player) strolls on stage and starts to fiddle with equipment. Then the drummer, Murph appears. A cheer goes around as J Mascis appears from behind one of his three Marshall stacks, picks up a guitar and starts to tune it. After mumbling some pleasantries, the band launch into The Lung, from the masterpiece album You’re Living All Over Me (1987). A live favourite, this song epitomises Dinosaur Jr’s take on rock music. Melodic as hell, the bass sings a counter punctual melody to the main vocal, as does the guitar, all through a wall of distorted sound and pounding rhythm.
For me, this is 3-piece dynamics at it’s very, very best and tonight’s rendition is the best I’ve witnessed. The band is on top form. Perhaps not as loud as I was expecting but they are tighter, more crisp and happier than I have ever seen them. The next song I Ain’t is from the latest album Sweep Into Space. J picks up a weird looking guitar, which I now know to be a Vox Phantom VI. The same guitar Ian Curtis uses in the Love Will Tear Us Apart video by Joy Division. One thing I love about Dinosaur Jr, is that they can play back to back songs live, that were written over 30 years apart but a new listener would never be able to tell. They aren’t locked in a bygone era. They just have their sound and have just got better and better at delivering it and achieving their vision. For me, they have never been as good as they are right now. These guys were just born to play with each other. It’s that simple.
For the third song Garden, J picks up a Rickenbacker bass and Lou takes over on guitar. One theme of this gig is J switching guitars on almost every tune. This is fluid and never seems to interrupt the flow. Another theme is Lou doing the vast majority of talking in-between songs. Yet another theme (and my personal favourite) is the band doing impromptu jams between songs. This is usually led by Murph. The band seems really relaxed and they really do appear to be having a great time. Little Fury Things followed by Out There and Crumble are all crowd pleasers, each from a different Dino era. Members of the audience are shouting out for requests. At this point J tells us that they want to play more songs from the new album and the band launch into a trio of songs from Sweep Into Space.
The songs are rockin’ and meet with the audiences’ approval but when the band eventually launch into The Wagon, the opening track from Green Mind (1991), the crowd go up two gears and the whole room is jumping. A rather gentle mosh-pit has developed by now and the atmosphere is wonderful. Dinosaur Jr finish out their set with a selection of crowd favourites the highlight for me being an unbelievably passionate rendition of Mountain Man from the very first eponymous album Dinosaur (1985). The gig ends (with another song from Dinosaur), Forget The Swan. One of the few songs that Lou sings. I really don’t want this gig to end but time is running out. After a brief two minutes, the band reappears on stage. J announces that there are five minutes left and asks the audience for a request.
The crowd respond by shouting out at least a dozen different songs which remind me just how many awesome tunes Dinosaur have in their catalogue. It would take a day to play them all. Just Like Heaven is the song that is finally chosen. Originally written by The Cure, and a classic in it’s own right, Dinosaur Jr made this tune their own back in 1989. So much so that The Cure’s Robert Smith admits that after hearing this cover, it effected they way his own band approached the song live. The song only gives us a few minutes more sonic ecstasy and all too soon it’s over and it’s time for us all to go home. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire evening and feel privileged to have seen Dinosaur Jr at, what is to me at least, their peak.
The Lung
I Ain’t
Garden
Little Fury Things
Out There
Crumble
I Expect It Always
To Be Waiting
I Met The Stones
The Wagon
Been There All The Time
Start Choppin
Feel The Pain
Mountain Man
Freak Scene
Forget The Swan
Just Like Heaven (The Cure)
FUTURE GIGS
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