Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have been described as the children of Echo & The Bunnymen, the second cousins of Jesus & Mary Chain, and the younger siblings of Spaceman 3 and Spiritualized. Often these comparisons are useless in giving a clear description of the band-rather they merely offer other suggested listening if you already know and enjoy B.R.M.C’s recorded material. Well, here’s one more lofty comparison to throw onto the heap: Nirvana.
Not since April 8th, 1994 has there been a three-piece rock outfit that plays their live shows with as much intensity, awkwardness and sheer volume as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Taking their name from Marlon Brando’s motorcycle gang in The Wild One, and dressed in similarly all-black attire, B.R.M.C. took the stage last week at The Guvernment and without a word ripped straight into their set. In a flash of red light, the first riff of “Stop” (the lead single off their sophomore album Take Them On, On Your Own) sounded as if they were going to blow out the back wall of the club into the Kool Haus next door. As they fired into “Six-Barrel Shotgun”, some people likely wondered if the whole building would come down. In short, it was loud.
Notorious in the media for being less than talkative in interviews, Black Rebel were very much the same in concert. Through the set that contained mostly newer material as well as selections from their previous self-titled album and the title track of their first EP, Screaming Gun, there were just a few appreciatory words of “thank you”, and phrases to the effect of “great to be here” from co-lead vocalists Robert Turner and Peter Hayes. A high point in the set was the new and controversial track “U.S. Government”. The anti-establishment, anti-war diatribe is not so much a protest song as it is a dismissal of authority with Turner sneering, “You know they were never, never yours to kill/ Oh no, they were never, never yours to kill”.
There was nothing extravagant in the production. No fancy light show, no flashy visuals or expensive pyrotechnics to burn the place to the ground. Just three guys dressed in black, their gear, a couple of big amp stacks and the music. The highlight of the show was the rocking performance of B.R.M.C.’s biggest hit to date, which begs the question, “Whatever Happened To My Rock N’ Roll?” From “One, two, three-whoa!” they had the entire crowd jumping and screaming along to the lyrics, not an easy accomplishment, as anyone who has been to a rock show in Toronto can attest. The answer to the question asked by the song may always remain a mystery, but what is for certain is that with the recent emergence of bands like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, our rock n’ roll is finally back and hopefully here to stay.
