Dinosaur Jr.

As the undisputed kings of slacker rock and one of the four surviving members of the much-vaunted "class of '88" (Pixies, Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine being the others), Dinosaur Jr are in the enviable position of having nothing left to prove to anyone, even themselves. Sure, they have a new record to promote but for the classic line-up of J. Mascis, Lou Barlow and Patrick Murphy, tonight's show feels more like a celebration of their undeniably fantastic back catalogue rather than any pre-empted label-orchestrated marketing exercise.

Although only back in the UK for two shows - by all accounts last night's stop-off in London was a triumphant event - the fact they chose to play the humble confines of Derby's Rockhouse rather than a more conventional live music-orientated city definitely raised a few eyebrows. The buzz of anticipation in and around the venue early doors resembles that of much-hyped newcomers rather a veteran outfit such as these, and much like last year's ATP shows with Explosions In The Sky, there's a guessing game going on in the foyer as to what their set will consist of this evening.

Openers Qisa make an unholy, if occasionally stunted racket. Think a more refined, quintessentially English take on The Jesus Lizard and your nail will penetrate its target quite admirably. Featuring members of Fixit Kid among their ranks, Qisa are definitely a name to watch out for in the future, if only as a reminder that uneasy listening can sometimes be quite rewarding.

Nevertheless, everyone is here for the main act, and when the trio - Mascis in particular - lumber on stage amidst a hail of squalling feedback and noise, it actually feels like being transported back two decades ago when all things visceral and nerve-shatteringly loud were the order of the day. Despite a few initial sound problems early on - the fact Mascis is playing through six amplifiers tells its own story - their performance is nigh on faultless, while the setlist is the casual bypasser's, if not a completist's, dream.

When you've got such an array of songs to choose from it's inevitable that personal favourites will be omitted, so the fact that there's no room for 'Repulsion' or indeed anything from 1985's pre-Jr record Dinosaur causes a slight tinge of disappointment. However, that is eradicated almost immediately by what they do actually play, the set largely consisting of material from You're Living All Over Me and Bug. 'Tarpit' still sounds as vital and inflammatory as it first did all those years ago, while 'Out There' also proved a welcome addition, if only to quell any nagging doubts that Dinosaur Jr had somehow "lost the plot" during their less productive mid-nineties period. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening is that they only play one song off forthcoming album Farm ('I Don't Wanna Go There'), but then Dinosaur Jr never were ones to play the corporate marketing game.

The last five songs of the set are worth the price of admission alone, a raucous run through 'The Wagon' followed immediately by 'In A Jar', then 'Freak Scene' causing a mass singalong (not to mention semi-dangerous moshpit) before concluding with 'Raisins' and 'Sludgefeast'. All the time, Mascis plays with his head bowed, never once catching anyone's eye, Barlow being the only member of the band to engage in any kind of interaction with the crowd. Not that anyone cares, and when they return for a three-song encore beginning with their now legendary take on The Cure's 'Just Like Heaven' and culminating in the incendiary thrash of its b-side 'Chunks', howled at the top of his lungs impressively by Barlow, there are grown men around me reduced to tears, probably in awe at their relentless energy, years after they'd supposedly passed their sell-by-date.

This was without doubt one of the best shows anyone here will witness all year, and despite age not being on their side these days, the fact the audience was a mix of first-timers and old-stagers gave tonight's performance a tingling sense of "I was there" specialness about it. Simply magnificent.

Photo by Brantley Gutierrez