Dinosaur Jr, Stepmother @ Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide 26/2/2024
Monday night! No worries! This really was a fantastic show with US rock act Dinosaur Jr returning to Adelaide to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of iconic album Where You Been. Hard to believe their last tour was back in 2017 at The Gov and since then their illustrious career has continued releasing album Sweep Into Space in 2021. Early on the venue appeared sparse and right before show time the masses literally came out of nowhere to experience this show not to be missed. It was more of a subdued crowd who were attentive and really in to the music.
Openers Stepmother from Melbourne town were f***ing fantastic! This power trio was just the tonic to blowout the cobwebs of fatigue on a Monday night. Described as “equal parts motor city proto punk and feedback drenched fuzz on the darker side of psychedelia they play anthems for the poor depraved sickos and rock n roll miscreants’. That said, there was plenty to like as they ploughed through their forty five minute set. Their set was focused on new album from 2023 Planet Brutalicon with standouts being Fade Away, Do You Believe and Dead and Gone. Not a lot of engagement with the crowd letting the music do all the talking. Covers Signed D.C. (Love) and Journey To The Center Of The Mind (The Amboy Dukes) were awesome.
It was a low key build up to Dinosaur Jr taking the stage with J Mascis appearing from behind the towering Marshall stacks with Lou Barlow and Murph appearing from side of stage. With a few adjustments it was on. The first part of the set there were no real surprises playing the iconic album Where You Been start to end in full. It is a “classic” record which captures everything that was great about the nineties. With so many great singles and albums if there was one album that may define their legacy this would be it. Out There and Start Choppin’ are absolute gems with plenty of other ones to come such as On the Way, Not the Same, Hide and Goin’ Home. There was not a lot spoken during the show apart from a few words here and there but an album such as Where You Been is big and bold enough to speak a million words anyway.
The next part of the set featured new, revered and favourites of the band. New song Garden was awesome and going back to another classic album You’re Living All Over Me playing Raisans and Little Furry Things was a real treat. Feel The Pain was a big moment and a fan favourite in the set and Gargoyle from debut album Dinosaur really did blow my mind. The encore kick it up a notch with Freak Scene and a cover of The Cure’s Just Like Heaven. That was that! Fantastic show and we looking forward celebrating the next milestone perhaps for Without A Sound (thirtieth anniversary approaching).
Live Review By Rob Lyon