Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – The Gov Tuesday20March 2018.
Words Geoff Jenke
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC) last visited our shores in 2013 and the L.A. 3 piece came back to the Gov with a vengeance. The 3-band played a killer 2-hour set, usually hidden behind a wall of smoke.
However first up were the four sisters of Stonefield, playing their brand of heavy, almost stoner, rock. Because of delayed flights they were still doing the sound check when we arrived. In the end they just said, “lets go with it” and played a great 40-minute set of hard rock drenched only in red lights for the whole set. The sound wasn’t quite right but it didn’t detract from making it a great set. They even manned their own merch stall after and were friendly to talk to. I for one will be checking out a lot more of this band.
Ten minutes before Black Rebel Motorcycle Club hit the stage, the smoke machine continuously pumped smoke on to the stage. By the time Peter, Robert and Leah hit the stage they were all but hidden by the thick smoke. And so, it was most of the evening. Every time the smoke began to thin, more was pumped out onto the stage. The band were here to promote their new album and they opened with Spook and Little Thing Gone Wild off said album, Wrong Creatures.
It’s not easy to categorise BRMC, which may be a good thing. The first thing that struck me was Jesus and Mary Chain influences but there was also hints of Velvet Underground and T.Rex. At times the music was dirty blues riffs, space rock, noise pop, classic rock and roll and then at other times they were as bombastic as Muse. While songs off the new album were scattered throughout the 23-song evening, they had fans (a packed Gov) screaming at the traditional favourites.
Beat the Devils Tattoo, King of Bones and the beautiful Love Burns all got an airing. After Love Burns, Peter Hayes commented “Can you believe we first played that song in 1999. And it is still a beautiful thing”. Yes, we agreed with him. Haunt off the new album comes close to being as good with its atmospheric sound and Peter Hayes beautiful voice.
Peter and Robert Levon Been alternated guitars and vocals almost every song and at one stage even swapped sides of the stage, such is the talent of these two. Leah Shapiro laid a bombastic drum beat all night for the two guitar technicians. They made the bass guitar sound like a lead guitar at times.
Shrouded in fog most of the night, they opted for a less is more light show, with LED lights saturating the stage from the background, creating silhouettes of the band. And just when the sound gets bigger and bigger, they strip it right back with both Peter and Robert both doing a solo acoustic song. Peter did a version ofDirty Ol’ Town with just an acoustic guitar from the crash barrier sans microphone, his voice ringing out over the Gov crowd.
Towards the end, Peter also commented about the “chasm” between the band and crowd. He said “you are a respectable crowd, not throwing bottles and being a nuisance, fil the chasm” And the crowd did piling over the barriers for the final few songs in Awake, Six Barrel Shotgun and Spread Your Love.
The encore was Ninth Configuration from the new album and the closer naturally What Ever Happened to Rock n Roll (Punk Song) with the crowd going off.
BRMC music is moody and brooding, vibrant and energetic and to the audience, magnetic. With simple staging, they just let the music do the talking.
A powerhouse performance.
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