The Brian Jonestown Massacre arrive in the UK just before the documentary that effectively made them famous, Dig!, returns to cinemas: a “reimagined 20th anniversary edition”, which brings the story of the rivalry between the band and their frenemies the Dandy Warhols up to date. On release, you would have watched certain who came out on top. The Dandy Warhols had recently been catapulted to success after a Vodafone advert transformed their single Bohemian Like You from a flop into a global hit. The Brian Jonestown Massacre, meanwhile, had ended the doc in a state of disarray: drug-damaged, dropped by their label and thumping each other in the middle of a gig.
Two decades on, the outcome is less clear. The Dandy Warhols’ moment in the spotlight proved fleeting, while the Brian Jonestown Massacre have a cult following big enough to warrant the publication of an acclaimed memoir by percussionist Joel Gion and big enough that this large UK tour includes a date at Brixton Academy. Perhaps some of their audience is drawn in by the band’s myth – big on excess, volatility and danger – in which case, they’re in for a disappointment tonight. The gig’s a little shambolic – songs occasionally take a couple of goes to get started – but the only sense of danger is that someone might slowly die of old age while the band are silently retuning their guitars between songs. Long-haired, wearing Bob Dylan’s hat from the cover of Desire and directing proceedings from the side of the stage, Anton Newcombe cuts a rather inscrutable, aloof figure: if there is a visual focus, it’s Gion, tapping his tambourine.
