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Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Not the saviours then?

Not the saviours then?
24 februari 2002, Melkweg, Amsterdam (NL)

Tekst: Wilko van Iperen

Beeld: Sylvia Korving

Publicatiedatum: 05 maart 2002

The Strokes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and The White Stripes: These were the hypes of last year. The first two bands were sort of launched by the British press, as they have to have hype a year. The last band, The White Stripes, deserved the predicate of Best Newcomer ("Breakthrough" is more suitable for a band who released two previous albums.), not because they brought a new sound, but because they "kept it real" - they gave us right-in-your-face rock. Their album 'White Blood Cells' rocked from start 'till finish. The Strokes were probably most hyped, and - although their album title 'Is This It' probably describes the feeling it leaves you with - it featured some great tunes, which do well at parties and guarantee everybody shakes their booty.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club entered the ring of rock'n'roll with their 'BRMC'. Of the three albums, this one was the least energetic, although it's a bit unfair to compare the Motorcycle Club's album with the other two. While The White Stripes and The Strokes seem to grab back to old-fashioned r'n'r, BRMC were mostly inspired by the British underground of the late Eighties and early Nineties (among others, The Jesus And Mary Chain). The music of the brothers Reid wasn't bursting of energy either, but it had an exciting combination of noisy guitars and melodies. BRMC, by fits and starts, are as exciting as The Jesus And Mary Chain, but still it all sounds too much like a copy of the example set by their predecessors. And although it immediately is clear that all of The Velvet Underground albums can be found in the record collection of The Strokes frontman Casablancas, it can't be said that they just took that sound and karaoked it.

Sunday night, the Melkweg was filled with people who were in their teens at around the time and age of The Jesus And Mary Chain's early days. For the few (younger) dancing fans this was a night to remember, but for those who had to get up early the next day this wasn't more exciting then your typical Sunday afternoon. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club clearly lacked the energy to play, and so they just stood there and stared, as did the public. The band seem to have a patent on groovy rock'n'roll like The Stone Roses had and the vague sound of the shoegazer generation (Slowdive, Chapterhouse) that's not often heard nowadays. The many musical (guitar) layers that give the songs power on the album are completely missing when BRMC are live in action. With just Peter Hayes playing guitar, the complexity of the songs vanished. The only song worth mentioning is 'Whatever Happened To My Rock'N' Roll (Punk Song)', which indeed is a punk song compared to the slowness of the rest of the gig (and album). This particular song was written as a reaction to the state of rock, and for a moment they really seemed capable of making that point. It's a pity that the matter rested there. The ten-minute outro of the almost obligatory encore, so it seemed, made this rock'n'roll performance a bit more cliché than necessary (With the members of the support act coming on stage to "make special music", but only playing tambourines, it almost was embarrassing.).

"I fell in love with a sweet sensation / I gave my heart to a simple chord / I gave my soul to a new religion" - Those of you reading this probably all did, so are these lot the saviours of r'n'r then? Judging by this gig, not this time around...

http://www.kindamuzik.net/live/black-rebel-motorcycle-club/black-rebel-motorcycle-club-not-the-saviours-then/1379/
Meer Black Rebel Motorcycle Club op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/black-rebel-motorcycle-club