The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

After copious amounts of obsessive listening, the Brian Jonestown Massacre may reinforce your already unstable delusions of 60’s psychedelic grandeur and feed your unholy affirmations to the Velvet Underground and British Invasion rock. They may also make you want to use illegal substances while sitting on a bean bag in your sisters den, eating Doritoes and playing SEGA with your BFF. But after examining BJM’s decade long history of volatility and hysterics (aggravated primarily by lead singer Anton Newcombe) there is no doubt that BJM has something special to offer.

Singer-guitarist Anton Newcombe is such an explosive frontman, he’s prone to hurling disparaging remarks at band members in the middle of performances and kicking hecklers in the face when provoked (see “Dig” documentary for examples). The sold out gig at The Zoo was notable because it featured a reunion of original members Matt Hollywood and Joel Gion. Upon entering the sticky, erotic vault that is The Zoo I became enthralled not only by the truly “cool” people surrounding me but the sense of utter respect and true humbleness the crowd was purging for what was to come.

The show seemed to start without a hitch and the crowd erupted with sounds of romance as the effervescent Joel Gion walked on stage with his tambourine. Matt Hollywood was next, appearing to outrageous applause as Anton kept the crowd waiting with baited breath. Despite Anton appearing demure and somewhat tired as he finally took to the stage, this was one helluva Jonestown show. Newcombe lead his band through what seemed an eternal set of exceptional, off-kilter retro-rock. Supported by three guitars, a “brown note” inducing bass (that made my friend so ill she had to run to the bathroom) and the strangely erotic Joel on tambourine it’s one blissed-out blast of over-driven psychedelia after another.

The bands technicality and professionalism showed their decade of experience while their effortless demeanor of utter cool and a youthful sense of true musical exploration keeps the material fresh and interesting.

In short – radical.