No rebels at this gig!

By GISELLA FARRELL
Sun Online

THEIR name conjures up images of long-haired tattooed rockers straddling Harley Davidsons, but in reality the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are a bit dull!

Playing to around 500 at London’s Garage last night, BRMC showcased their third album, Howl, which was released the same day.

And it would be fair to say that the trio – Bassist and singer Rob Levon Been (neé Turner), Pete Hayes on guitar and vocals, and drummer Nick Jago – have gone back to their roots for this record.

Howl is a massive departure from the blasting rock ‘n’ roll of their previous albums, turning instead to American folk and blues inspired numbers using a harmonica and trombone rather than electric guitars.

After opening the gig with a rendition of Happy Birthday to an unimpressed-looking Rob, BRMC launched into their new single Ain’t No Easy Way – a punchy Rolling Stones-esque number to a backdrop of unlikely fairylights draped around the room.

This promising start was followed by another bluesy track from the new album – before the band reverted to some of their crowd-pleasing old rock tunes.

While these made the crowd-surfers happy, the gulf between BRMC’s past and present musical styles could not be bridged and the atmosphere deflated.

Musically talented – definitely. A great live band? We’d have to say no. They were, dare we say, a bit boring on stage.

No interaction with the audience, no charisma, very little stage presence, BRMC emulated the American grunge bands of the 90s – staring at their feet while strumming their guitars.

And we found Rob’s impression of Liam Gallagher’s slurred vocals quite irritating.

Between most tracks there was a few minutes of silence when the lights came up and the band swapped themselves around – not unlike an ice-cream interval at the theatre.

Still, it kept the bar staff busy.

BRMC spent most of the night playing eerie riffs and sliding guitar scales – you may as well listen to their fantastic new record in the comfort of your own home – they don’t add much to it live.

You can hear the influence of Springsteen, Lou Reed, Manson, Blur, Dylan and REM in their music – in addition to blues, gospel, soul and tribal bass lines – but it seems to be at the expense of BRMC’s own identity.

The tedious set was saved by a climatic ending when Pete’s spine-tingling vocals reminded us of Pink Floyd legend Dave Gilmour’s remarkable performance at Live 8.

Still, these are early days for a quality band who has reinvented itself – the album is certainly worth the price – and with a slot at this weekend’s Carling Reading/Leeds festival and an upcoming US tour the live act can always be worked on.

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Gig Photogallery

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