Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks

Tripod, Dublin

It is a cheery, DM-booted audience who greet Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks as they bound onstage to perform the last show of their European tour promoting new album Real Emotional Trash.

This is an audience dotted with musical faces from throughout Ireland’s music scene, and the carefully swept to the left side-partings and faded skinny t-shirts indicate more than a handful of dedicated Malkmus’ fans. However you sense the majority of the audience are not there simply to pay homage to the highly regarded past works of the former Pavement frontman. These collective ears are present to hear the frantic revving guitars and lyrical loveliness they have been experiencing on Real Emotional Trash in a live setting.

The scene for the night is set with the typically defiant sounds of opening song ‘Elmo Delmo’ which mutates effortlessly into ‘HopScotch Willie’ - the frankly terrifying story of a gentle-mannered psycho killer. The repetitive final vocal line describes the post-crime committing Willie as ‘panting like a pit-bull, minus the mean’. The growling, howling guitars of Malkmus and Mike Clark scream this terror across perfectly to the assembled Dublin crowd.

The addition to the Jicks’ line-up of former Sleater-Kinney and current Quasi drummer Janet Weiss has brought a more ferocious and tighter element to Malkmus’ songs, something which you feel he hasn’t been overly concerned about in the past. Weiss plays a significant part in expertly directing the songs from the dizzying mid-song freak outs into the tightly-beaten pounding of the verses and choruses.

Bass player Joanna Bolme plays as if to prove she deserves her place on Malkmus’ right-hand side. Standing tall and seductive, her bass lines somehow manage to smoothly intertwine and work with Malkmus’ awkward yet enthralling melodies.

Most of the new record is put on display and, judging by the nodding heads and extended applauses, is thoroughly enjoyed by all. A handful of older tracks are played, including ‘Do Not feed the Oysters’ and ‘Post Paint Boy’, but tonight is all about the re-invigorated sounds coming from Malkmus and his Jicks.

After the show, the band lie sprawled together in their dressing room, like a pride of lions after a successful hunt - pleased, relieved and drained from the performance they have just put in. They are already discussing where they might record the new album (France was being mentioned). This is a band brandishing a new energy - which this writer wholly approves of.

Take note those of you who turned off Malkmus when Pavement split. He is still here, and with the help of the Jicks, he will still delight your ears.

Words by Dominic Coyle

Photo courtesy of Fiona Diffley

Issue #52 - Very Bro-some

Featuring Panama Kings, ASIWYFA, an investigation into DIY touring, details of what over 25 of the finest NI bands are up to in 2009 and much more.