J Mascis @ Factory Theatre

Normally at the helm of one of the most underrated bands in 21st century Sydney, The Holy Soul, Trent Marden cut a lonesome figure in a desolate Factory Theatre. The room was yet to fill, and yet the screech and scratch of his electric guitar managed to do that with relative ease. Songs from a forthcoming Holy Soul record were previewed, while tracks written when Marden “was a kid” were also trotted out to the delight of his friends in the audience. Watching Marden play feels a lot like catching up with a mate – at this point, it’s practically Sydney tradition.

Much like tonight’s headliner, Adalita is the figurehead of a notable fuzzed-out rock band, yet someone who has made a clear distinction between that and the music put out under her own name. One should not come to an Adalita show expecting a ‘Dirty Jeans’ sing-along – it’s far less arbitrary and more interesting than that. Setting up a loop station and adding in lead guitar and percussion, Adalita’s solo work takes on a new life in the live environment. It’s dark, brooding and borderline hypnotic in its spiralling, trance-inducing power, leaving a significant impression.

‘Listen To Me’ and ‘Me Again’ make for a lush, serene start to the set for J Mascis. Still, you should have seen the faces light up when he stomped on a pedal and sent his acoustic guitar into a distorted frenzy, soloing to his heart’s content. As nice as a stripped-back performance from the proto-grunge veteran is, there’s only so long that he can stay in one proverbial lane.

In one of his few addresses to the audience, J introduced a song he claimed to be an old favourite. It turned out to be Mazzy Star’s ‘Fade Into You’, a world-colliding highlight of the entire evening. Fans of Dinosaur Jr., meanwhile, were rewarded with ‘Get Me’, ‘Pond Song’ and ‘Little Fury Things’, which all received a cheer upon recognition. Mascis played to his strengths here, smartly reworking these songs to suit the solo environment before throwing all caution to the wind and shredding through yet another solo.

At the very least, it proved to be a clever deviation from your typical solo-acoustic affair, quite similar to Adalita. With another mumble and a wave, J disappeared. Who knows when he’ll return? All that’s certain is that we’ll be back once more.