J Mascis and Kevin Shields join forces to create alt-rock heaven with Cure cover

J Mascis onstage in Germany with Dinosaur Jr, 2022
(Image credit: Martyn Goodacre/Redferns/Getty Images)

What's better than Kevin Shields joining J Mascis onstage to perform Dinosaur Jr and My Bloody Valentine songs? Doing that and a Cure cover too. The lords of alt-rock offset weaponry aligned celestial paths again at the Garage in London on the 14 November, and their followers saw that it was good.

Mascis and his awesomely ridiculous rig of Marshall and Hiwatt stacks took the lead breaks in assured style and saw fans treated to the unusual sight of Shields playing traditional rhythm guitar. 

Needless to say he went hard on the tremolo arm for a take on My Bloody Valentine's Thorn with Dinosaur Jr bassman Lou Barlow on lead vocals (a collaboration that also took place at the trio's 30th anniversary show at the Bowery Ballroom in 2015). 

One can only guess at the volume levels in that room from the footage FreakSceneNet posted. Those Fender offsets were laying waste to the capital, no doubt.

Shields also joined in on the thunderous fun for Dinosaur Jr's own Tarpit too to further prove none of these musicians are mellowing with age and we thank them for it. Looks like the My Blood Valentine even got to wear one of Mascis's trademark baseball caps for his troubles too. 

Rob Laing
Guitars Editor, MusicRadar

I'm the Guitars Editor for MusicRadar, handling news, reviews, features, tuition, advice for the strings side of the site and everything in between. Before MusicRadar I worked on guitar magazines for 15 years, including Editor of Total Guitar in the UK. When I'm not rejigging pedalboards I'm usually thinking about rejigging pedalboards.