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| Robert Levon Been of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
I came into the
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC) show last night not knowing what to expect. And even though they originated here in the Bay Area, I’ve only been a passive fan over the years. In fact, I’ve probably heard more about their fanbase than their actual music… And I know what you’re thinking — where have I been?!? Well, luckily, I was able to make it last night to the
Fillmore for their return to the Bay Area and to continue their support of their 8th(!!!) release,
Wrong Creatures (iTunes). The band was last here only a few months ago when they headlined the
Noise Pop's closing weekend with a show at the Fox Theater, and last night played to a near-capacity crowd.
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| Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
So if you’re like me, and you’re only passively aware of BRMC, you might think that they’re a metal band from the sound of their name. But in actuality, they took the name after Marlon Brando's motorcycle gang from the film,
The Wild Ones, and they’re not anywhere close to being a metal band! The trio’s made up of Leah Shapiro (drums), Peter Hayes (vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica, piano), and Robert Levon Been (vocal, bass, guitar, piano), and sound like a band double their size. After now seeing them live, I’d say they’re best described as having a melancholic rock sound with just a touch of rockabilly mixed in. At times they reminded me of a mix of the Cure and U2, and they’ve noted Oasis, The Stone Roses, and the Jesus and Mary Chain as early influences. In fact, Robert thanked the audience for coming out last night and talked about what a thrill it was to be playing the famed Fillmore — a place where he spent his earlier years standing exactly where we were while watching those aforementioned bands. By the way, I should mention that if you haven’t already read our interview with Robert from a few weeks ago, you can find it
here.
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| Peter Hayes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
But getting back on topic to the show last night, I can't say that I've seen this before, but I could have sworn that I saw Robert & Peter not only trade lead vocal responsibilities, but also trade guitar duties, with both moving between bass and guitar. Was I seeing things? They each also took a turn behind the upright piano and seemed adept at moving to whatever instrument was in need at the moment... As Leah sat comfortably behind the kit at center stage pounding away the rhythm throughout the night.
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| Robert Levon Been of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
Looking at their 20-plus song setlist, you might think that they played for 3 hours, but both front men were relatively quiet throughout the night, and let their songs do the talking. Only occasionally, did Robert talk to the audience; so the band was able to quickly move from one song to the next to cover as much ground as they did in only about an hour and forty-five minutes. The crowd lapped it up, and speaking of the crowd, I got to meet several up against the barrier in front of the stage before the show… As it turns out, BRMC's die-hard fans are truly, die-hards. One had flown from Florida and was in the process of following the band along the west coast. Another fan had already seen the band play live 117 times!!! And others were talking about how they were driving to Sacramento to catch the Depeche Mode show tonight where BRMC was the show opener. Amazing fans lucky enough to have the time to follow their favorite band!
All-in-all, it was a great show and I was glad to finally catch the band live! Thanks for reading and be sure to follow us across our social feeds for more pictures, concert announcements, interviews and more! Find us here:
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