The Brian Jonestown Massacre is exactly the kind of band you’d say is one of a kind. Because its frontman, Anton Newcombe, is one of a kind. Both the band and Newcombe stand out in terms of their work, their approach to it and their approach to everything else. Their shows tend to be very relaxed, with a nice atmosphere, and yet hypnotic and in some ways – though it’s impossible to really describe in what ways – very special. Anyone who’s experienced it knows what we’re talking about. And anyone who hasn’t and loves oldschool, psychedelia and thinking about things should experience it. The opportunity will be on May 4!
Doing things differently pays off. When you break through with a single and the offers start pouring in, the automatic and completely logical reaction is to start saying yes to them. Yes, I want to make an album, yes, I’d love to get in touch with a label, yes, I want to make music for as many people as possible. Anton Newcombe said no to that. Because he wanted to do things his own way. And with The Brianjonestown Massacre, where Newcombe is the one constant, he’s been doing things his own way for over thirty years.
He has influenced dozens of bands with his approach and his music. In Berlin, he has set up his own studio, which allows him to really do what he wants to do. And because he’s obsessed with music, he does it. And the fans are happy for that. He’s already put out 20 albums, and each one is different in some way. Newcombe doesn’t worry about genres or labels, just like he doesn’t worry about anything. Shoegaze, neo-psychedelia, garage rock, folk rock, psychedelic rock. Newcombe does anything, as long as it’s different from the mainstream. And the remarkable thing is that it entertains not only the die-hard listeners, whom he reached with his music thirty years ago, but also those who weren’t even around thirty years ago.
Concerts in general are a chapter of their own with The Brian Jonestown Massacre. There are sometimes long pauses between songs, waiting, as if it’s forbidden to rush, so that everyone can enjoy the time here and now. It’s the combination of the music with the pauses, with Newcomb’s talking as he plays, and with the continuous tuning of the instruments that creates an incredible atmosphere. When you’re in a club and you’re experiencing this, you feel like you’ve been transported somewhere, to a world without pretensions, without rules, where time passes differently. It’s an extraordinary experience that you shouldn’t miss!
