Music

Jesus and Joy Division

The Familiar Sounds of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

by Kathleen Wilson

It's been said before in these very pages, and it's about to be said again: Nothing new is the "New" new. Be it '60s-influenced keyboard pop or psychedelic noise rock, there's a lot of bald-faced borrowing going on in this very early millennial music scene--and while it's not always original, it's not always bad, either.

Take California's Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Anyone who's ever owned a Jesus and Mary Chain album can recognize the moody three-piece's major influence in a deep, tremulous drumbeat. Then there's the anagrammatic title of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's debut on Virgin, B.R.M.C. (Get it? B.R.M.C., J.A.M.C.) Finally, there's the fact that Jesus and Mary Chain cofounder Jim Reid is a fan of the band, along with Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and Oasis' Noel Gallagher. Sounds hot, right? And maybe a little gross.

But one listen to B.R.M.C. reveals a band that does a great job of molding its love of Jesus and Mary Chain (and, consequently, that band's love of the Velvet Underground), My Bloody Valentine, and Joy Division into a great, nostalgic sound that may not be at all unique, but certainly compelling. To see the band perform live is a transporting experience: Three shadowy figures emit jagged, loud, effects-riddled guitar rock that sizzles and burns at a slow, deeply narcotic pace; vocalists Robert Turner and Peter Hayes sing in that same droning, strung-out style their heroes had, while reeling out miles of sexy scrawl. If you're over 30 or listened to college rock in the '80s, you've seen and heard this all before.

While such mimicry might seem, well, gross, the members of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club do it so well and with such sincerity, they've earned respect from fans of their influences while gathering a strong contingent of unbiased fans, too. If you like noisy feedback, psychedelic freakouts, and heat-laden, reverb-drenched vocals, you'll probably find much to like in Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. It's nothing new. But these days, it's new just the same.

Buy Tickets for Other Events