Currently in the country touring, two members of American alternative, experimental rockers The Brian Jonestown Massacre have come to blows mid-set during their Melbourne concert last night (21 November).
The testiness of the situation is clearly evident as frontman and the group's songwriter-founder Anton Newcombe tunes his guitar in-between songs, before going off on a tangent about his "perception as an artistic child to play presentments not guitars, that's how I interpret it"."Nobody hears you," quips guitarist Ryan Van Kriedt, to which Anton responds: "Cut off this guy's mic, put down the guitar, the party's over captain. Please, there's no more music till you get the f... – we actually don't need you. Go!"
Anton then wanders to the back of stage as a clearly stunned Van Kriedt does indeed put down his guitar.
As he leaves the stage, he walks towards Anton, where the two briefly exchange words before they begin to skirmish, running around the stage eventually becoming entangled on the floor as other band and tour members try and intervene, with an audience member exclaiming: "I knew it was going to happen!"
Known throughout their history for chaotic live performances that often deteriorate into train-wrecks onstage (view the 2004 documentary 'Dig!' for evidence), it seems tensions between the two were already high when they performed in Adelaide last week.
Our reviewer Jason Leigh was in attendance and described their show as: 'On this occasion [Anton] is critical of guitarist Ryan Van Kriedt who I thought was going to get physical with Anton or storm off stage.
'. . . It would be perhaps going too far to describe the show as a car crash, but sticking with the car analogy, it was definitely in need of some roadside assistance with a driver that may not have been safe to be behind the wheel.'
The band's tour continues tonight in Castlemaine before a final show on Friday in Wollongong. No word whether those dates will proceed as scheduled.
