The original incarnation of Dinosaur Jr. was all too brief, with bassist Lou Barlow leaving the band in 1989, and drummer Murph departing a few years later.
Improbable as it seemed, the original lineup rejoined J Mascis in 2005. Over the next few years they released a trio of albums that will stand among the band’s best work.
The interaction between Mascis, Barlow, and Murph is an essential ingredient to the Dinosaur Jr. live experience and Thursday night at The Hi Fi the seminal trio showed Brisbane why that is.
The evening offered a veritable buffet of alternative rock with local act Giants Of Science impressively kicking things off.
They were followed by indie stalwarts Redd Kross, who tore it up in a flurry of self-reflexive rock antics, including sexual amp grinding, a frontman clad in Joker-style green and purple, and a meaty drummer sporting a tight ABBA t-shirt.
Such a stacked bill is a treat, but it meant that by 10.30pm the headline act had not yet materialised.
Eventually, Mascis appeared, shuffling through a forest of Marshall stacks, his distinctive long, grey hair and beard making him look like some disheveled rock wizard.
From the other side of the stage emerged Barlow and Murph. It may be a fatuous observation, but between Mascis’s Gandalf-esque mane, Barlow’s shock of curly hair, and Murph’s shiny dome, the trio stood in stark cranial contrast.
After strapping on his iconic Jazzmaster, Mascis opens with the rambling instrumental intro of “The Lung” and his guitar is immediately glorious. Even his rhythmic arpeggios carry a distinctive flourish, and when he launches into his first solo it’s clear that you’re in the presence of a master.
Moving onto the lurching lament “Almost Fare”, one gets a sense of the fascinating dynamic between the band members. While Mascis is swaying from side to side – his vocals characteristically lethargic – Barlow is leaping round and terrorizing his bass like an incensed punk.
Dinosaur Jr. has long based its sound on the contrast between Mascis’ incendiary and melodic guitar work and the country-stoner indifference of his vocals. That same aesthetic is evident in his awkward stage presence, contrasted with the high-octane rock energy brought by Barlow and Murph.
The frontman’s seeming nonchalance further emerges between tracks. Rather than relying on vast racks of guitars and herds of roadies, Mascis sticks with his ’63 Jazzmaster for the entire show, retuning it between each track without cutting volume and then testing it with throwaway chords and riffs.
This creates a garage vibe suggesting that one is less in the presence of rock legends, than hanging with a bunch of dudes jamming for the love of it.
The band launches into “Don’t Pretend You Didn’t Know”, the lead track from their new record and one that is bound to go down among the classic Dino songs.
Barlow soon takes over to belt out his pop-punk gem “Rude” before the band offers up epic renditions of classics “Out There” and “Feel The Pain”, double-timing the instrumental chorus and guitar solo on the latter, to stunning effect.
A solitary crowd-surfer rises up, drifting across the fans, while security, in an admirable gesture to the gods of rock, simply let it all happen, and once again it feels like the 90s.
Despite The Hi Fi’s dubious reputation for sound quality the trio came through surprisingly well; the rhythm section was bone rattling and Mascis’s guitar crunchy but clear.
His vocals, however, were buried in the mix to the point where it was difficult to discern lyrics and sometimes even hear his voice.
But it’s easy to forgive just about anything as his guitar comes to life. Watching Mascis solo is a curious experience.
Physically, he seems completely indifferent; there’s an insouciance to him as he wanders around the stage seeming to barely pay attention to what he’s doing. And yet fervent, white-hot melodies emerge, which seem totally disconnected from the awkward and laconic man who teases them out.
Moving towards their climax the band works through a series of early classics including “Little Furry Things”, “Start Choppin”, and the crowd favourite “Freak Scene”.
The encore sees them busting out a warbling cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” before closing with the grungy monster, “Sludgefest”.
Seeing Dinosaur Jr. play is like stepping into an alt rock time machine. Nearly 30 years after their first album they still sound as fresh, as distinctive as they did when they were in the process of re-inventing rock for the 90s.
