Live Review: The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Flyying Colours

A cool Hobart evening saw The Brian Jonestown Massacre take to the stage of the Odeon Theatre as part of their six-show Australian tour. Melbourne's Flyying Colours opened the night with their upbeat and dreamy take on psychedelic shoegaze. Despite an early start to their set they enjoyed a sizeable, ever growing and attentive audience as they made their way through a consummate set comprising songs from their two EPs.

After a surprisingly short downtime between bands, The Brian Jonestown Massacre took to the stage amid little fanfare a full 15 minutes early. The next two hours saw the band meander through a selection of songs spanning their impressive 14-album career. BJM are widely regarded as top of the psychedelic-rock heap, and from their displayed ability to totally capture, enrapture and entrance an audience it's not hard to see why. Jangling guitars melded with warbling organ and synthesiser in a wonderfully textured tapestry of sound. A few minor technical glitches with guitarist Ricky Maymi's equipment did little to mar their set. Hobart seemed almost hypnotised, swaying and dancing as one.

The band's best known live staples such as Anemone and Nevertheless drew a predictably raucous response, with the band preferring to let their music speak for itself rather than banter with the audience. One of the things that pundits frequently cite is the timeless quality associated with the band's sound. They have drawn on an enormous wealth of psychedelic, folk, shoegaze and rock influences throughout their career and the sense that they could have emerged from any of the last six decades translated surprisingly well in a live setting, right down to the clothes they wore and their choice of equipment. Their live show brought about a curious and unique atmosphere, a near religious celebration not just of this band but music itself. The Brian Jonestown Massacre are so often cited by critics and fans alike as one of the most important acts of recent decades and their effortless display only served to confirm the fact.