Anton Newcombe on 35 Years of The Brian Jonestown Massacre Ahead of Bexhill Date
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Which is good news for anyone planning on seeing the unique American band when they play De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on 1st February.
“I’ve been off the road for all of 2024 for a variety of reasons,” says Newcombe, “so the tank is full, my enthusiasm is high and I’m totally looking forward to playing in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.”
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Hide AdNewcombe has been leading The Brian Jonestown Massacre since 1990, long enough to now be taking his foot off the gas and trading as a “legacy” act... Not a chance! Newcombe refuses to rest on his laurels, the Californian maverick having, across the decades, built a large international following without ever compromising his musical vision. As he notes, The Brian Jonestown Massacre have released over twenty albums (alongside numerous collaborations he’s engaged in with other artists), playing it safe and doing “90s nostalgia” is of no interest to him.

“Most of the bands we started out alongside have either split up long ago – or died! - or just ended up sounding tired,” he says. “I don’t want to name names or hurl accusations, I feel fortunate that I’m in a position where I have an audience who enjoy hearing new, challenging music.”
Newcombe might have a reputation for wild antics but, chatting via Zoom, he speaks thoughtfully, noting how right from the start he was determined to survive as an independent artist.
“Back when I first started playing in bands I realised there was this underground circuit, one that had grown out of the US punk and hardcore scenes, where certain bands would go on tour and make decent money without having to be beholden to the corporate music industry. This struck me as something to aim for. Then Nirvana broke big and suddenly huge deals were being offered – with all kinds of illicit tasters added on - and many bands signed them without studying the contracts. This meant they ended up in these really bad deals where they didn’t own their music or their publishing… not a wise move. By avoiding falling for such traps is one of the reasons I’m still out here and enjoying making music.”
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Hide Ad2024 was the 20th anniversary of the release of Dig!, the acclaimed rockumentary which covered The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols uneasy alliance/rivalry as both bands burst forth. An extended version of the film has been released to mark the anniversary but Newcombe admits to being weary of a project that portrayed the singer as a wild, troubled individual.
“The director really didn’t know what she was doing – I had to guide her from the start – and, in the edit suite, she made me into a character I’m not: ‘the bad guy!’ That the film was a huge success means people built misunderstandings around me. The Brian Jonestown Massacre is my life, my art, my business – I am not about to throw it away by behaving how people think idiot rock stars should.”
Newcombe speaks to me from his recording studio in Berlin, a city he’s called home since 2007. He’s very much looking forward to touring the UK – “the British have long understood what I’m doing musically” – and, considering what he has recently been through, very happy to be in a position to play music for people.
“I had a heart ‘event’ in early ‘24. It surprised the hell out of me as my lifestyle is healthy these days. But it appears it was hereditary, deposits of calcium building up and such. Anyway, I had a double bypass and I’ve got the scar to prove it!” He laughs then says, “it scared me at the time – the thought that I could have died when I still have so much music to make!” He laughs again and notes how having Alan McGee, the Scottish music industry maverick who launched Oasis (amongst many other noted bands), as his new manager has helped him feel confident.
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Hide Ad“Having Alan come in as manager has made a huge difference. Not just because there’s a long relationship there – Creation Records were interested in the Jonestown Massacre when we first started making waves – that’s important, but because he sees me as an artist, not someone who he can just make 10% off. After I came out of hospital, Alan said to me ‘are you sure you want to continue touring? You don’t have to.’ I thought about it – I spent months recuperating – and determined that, yes, I do want to tour. There won’t be any three hour performances, but I want to get out there and play music. Its magical on stage, leading a 7-piece band, the songs flowing, the energy from band to audience and back lifting things - nothing compares to it.”
Having McGee as manager ensures Newcombe reflects on how British music has impacted on him.
“My parents had lots of 60s British albums and they first inspired me as a child. Then, in the 1980s, it was the new British music that really turned my head – The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Damned, all kinds of bands. And it’s one of the reasons I love touring in the UK – when we play Newcastle I’m thinking of hearing The Animals as my parents owned their records, and what an impact Eric Burdon’s voice made on me. In Birmingham its Sabbath, even though we aren’t a metal band I still appreciate how they influenced everyone, that sludge sound: fantastic! And my tour manager, Andrea, is from Liverpool and she used to work with the Bunnymen, so she brings that Liverpool humour and energy with her, which really keeps the band on its toes.”
Anyone familiar with The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s high turnover of musicians and volatile inter-band antics might think Newcombe finds special kinship with Manchester bands Oasis and The Fall.
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Hide Ad“We played some dates with Oasis when they were just getting going but they’ve not invited us to play on their reunion concerts,” he says with a chuckle. “As for The Fall, well, they really capture that working class, Northern council estate thing, which is very different to our sound, but I admit that myself and Mark E. Smith both shared a singular focus when it comes to our bands.”
In November 2023, while The Brian Jonestown Massacre were on tour in Australia, Newcombe ended up brawling on stage with the band’s then guitarist. This ensured the rest of the Australian tour was cancelled and the band have not played since.
“Ah,” he says of an event that made international headlines, “we’d been on the road far too long and were exhausted, playing 40 to 50 gigs in a row. And I didn’t have the guitarist and drummer I usually go out with so things were tense. Essentially, someone in the audience threw a glass at me and the guitarist then threw one into the audience – that’s dangerous behaviour, people could get hurt – so I ordered him off stage. He refused to go and things just boiled over…” He pauses then adds, “didn’t Oasis break up over a fight between Noel and Liam? Maybe we do have more in common with them than I think!”
Having ensured he owns his recordings and publishing means Newcombe has benefited from the rise of streaming services: Anemone, the tenth of nineteen songs on The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s 1996 album Their Satanic Majesties’ Second Request, has now surpassed one hundred million streams.
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Hide Ad“I don’t know why that song is so popular but people just love it,” says Newcombe. “Anthony Bourdain declared it his favourite song. It just connects with people.”
Streaming success doesn’t mean Newcombe chooses digital as the primary medium for his forthcoming releases.
“I love records and, for the UK tour, we have a new Brian Jonestown single - Makes Me Great and Out Of Body - coming out. It will be a limited edition, ten-inch vinyl release. There’s also an album with the All Seeing Dolls, that’s me recording with Dot Allison, a Scottish singer and songwriter. This was a great experience: Dot’s very creative, very intuitive.”
Having survived heart ‘events’ and band bust-ups, Anton Newcombe is looking forward to returning to the concert halls of Britain.
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Hide Ad“It’s now all about the straight and narrow for me,” he says. “I might once have been the cowboy drunk, but not any longer. I’m fit and in a really good mindset and I’m looking forward to playing for some of the greatest audiences on earth.”
Tickets to see The Brian Jonestown Massacre at De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill on 1st February are on sale now, available from the venue and via www.thebrianjonestownmassacre.com.