Dinosaur Jr/Built To Spill
The Junction, Cambridge
17/05/2010
 
As you’d expect at a gig where the two main acts are long-standing US indie rock outfits, tonight’s audience has its inevitable share of mid-thirties but also a healthy number of uni students, keeping the mean age respectable.

First up are Built To Spill, a band who flirted with crossover around a decade ago, fell fractionally short but thankfully continued undaunted – and who sound arguably more relevant now than they ever have. Tonight’s set, based predominantly around superlative newie ‘There Is No Enemy’ but cherry-picking back catalogue highlights, illustrates just how much influence they’ve had on current favourites Band Of Horses and The Shins, with MGMT and Fleet Foxes no doubt also brutally aware of the debt they owe. Prior to the technical nightmares that blight the last quarter, and some gobby cock-cheese who decides to engage in verbals with the bass player despite being completely without wit or indeed a point to make, it’s a triumphant set that underlines how the time is once again very right for a crack at the mainstream for Built To Spill.

Headliners Dinosaur Jr are indie-rock royalty, albeit not quite with Pavement and Sonic Youth at the top table, but in terms of enduring quality, worthy of mention in the same breath. Since adversaries J Mascis and Lou Barlow buried the hatchet a few years ago, they’ve delivered two albums – ‘Beyond’ and ‘Farm’ – which are far better than they’ve any right to be, given the stigma that comes with reformation. Live they’re truly immense, with sheer velocity that’s rarely matched, led by Mascis and his unmistakable vocal and guitar squawl. Barlow is effortlessly cool in the secondary role, echoing career highs with the wonderful Sebadoh when he steps up to perform his tunes.

The set is the perfect classics vs recent material balance, and, though there’s perhaps the least audience interaction you’re ever likely to see, they leave the adoring masses completely fulfilled – and with ringing ears providing an inescapable memory of a magnificent show. What’s that? Ear plugs?? Bah.
 
Andy Slocombe