Photo: Splash
January. The time to forget a year of half-arsed releases and bollocks hype and get on with some proper music. Mascis is therefore a logical choice for self-assured, tried and tested music.
Firstly, there's a taste of dream pop from duo Luluc, who offer up Nico-inspired dream folk. Though nothing revolutionary, the pair offer beautiful harmonies and compellingly haunting songs with a rounded repertoire. Having just signed to a cult US label, you will be most likely hearing more about them later in the year.
London's always had a soft spot for indie wizard lookalike J Mascis. Even so, to completely pack out The Scala in the first week of January is impressive by anyone's standards, clearly servicing a need to lull the depression out of the coat-encased masses. Mascis is getting more eclectic with age, his solo acoustic outings almost erasing memories of his days performing in a band.
Sound isn't perfect, but his manner is as classic as ever as he runs through 'Listen To Me' and 'Me Again' off of his solo albums. While enjoyable, this isn't necessarily what a crowd of this age know Mascis for, so when Dinosaur Jr classic 'Little Furry Things' airs, it brings back memories and rapturous applause. From here it's an interesting hybrid of a gig, with delicate acoustic parts being live overdubbed with fuzzed-out shred from.
Trickery with pedals equally has the audience puzzled as he momentarily stops playing guitar during 'Every Morning'. There's then time to rounding off with Dinosaur Jr classics 'Get Me' and the seminal 'Out There', plus a beautiful cover of Mazzy Star's 'Fade Into You'.
With a final encore of The Cure's classic 'Just Like Heaven', the look on peoples' faces suggests they have been entertained - even if Mascis has barely said a word between songs. And if this gig would not have been the anti-depressant that most doctors would prescribe, for a certain section of the population it would have done just fine.
