Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Monday 11th March 2013 – The Academy, Dublin
It’s an absolute bitterly cold night in Dublin city centre on this Monday evening but Black Rebel Motorcycle Club heat things up with a blistering 2 hour set. This is a good old fashioned rock n’roll show by the Los Angeles based 3 piece in the dirty, dingy darkness of The Acadamy venue.
BRMC features guitarist Peter Hayes who played with Anton Newcombe’s psychedelic blues rockers The Brian Jonestown Massacre back in 1997. BRMC’s dirty bass lines are provided by Robert Levon Been and Leah Shapiro on drums. She was one time touring drummer with The Raveonettes. Shapiro joined the band in 2008 replacing founding member Nick Jago. The band is in town tonight to promote their brand new 7th studio album “Specter at the Feast” which is due for release on 15th March.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club open with “Let the Day Begin”, a cover song by a band called The Call. Robert Leven Been’s father Michael Been played with The Call and as he died backstage at one of BRMC’s gigs in 2010 the band decided to cover the band for their new album – a nice touch. There is a fine mix of new and old throughout the set spanning the bands 12 year career to date. From “Love Burns”, “Six Barrel Shotgun” and “Berlin” to brand new songs “Teenage Disease”, “Lullaby” and “Hate the Taste”.
“Spread Your Love”, the band’s biggest hit, gets the best audience reaction but the highlight of the night is new song “Returning” which sees Robert and Peter swapping instruments and Robert taking over on main vocals. The song itself seems to have a woman’s touch, it’s not as bass heavy, it’s more melodic and a welcome change from the norm. Tonight’s set is completed by encore of “Sell It” and “Lose Yourself” which incidentally are also the last 2 tracks on the new album “Specter at the Feast”. Overall this is a brilliant night’s entertainment. Let’s hope BRMC bring their dirty, scuzzy, garage rock back to these shores fairly soon.
