On Stage: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Paradiso

"Whatever happened to my rock n roll?" you can hear in the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club song of the same title. In that song off their debut album they are actually not referring to music, but you wonder what happened after that album debuted with a bang. Everything they did after that is measured up to that epic debut, but the band doesn't seem really bothered by it. They consistently release new music and visit my hometown when they do.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at Paradiso Amsterdam, November 20 2017

I saw them play a few times before, but only on festivals and never in a club show. The sold out Paradiso turns out to be the perfect place for this band to excel. Their dark and noisy rock is totally working out here. The band is like a diesel engine, that needs a bit of time to warm up, but once it's running there's no stopping it.

Their songs are mostly building up in the same way. Slowly the guitars and drums are blending in until the fire is igniting. Sometimes they will make it explode, but ever so often they let the fire smoulder and make it higher at will. Peter Hayes and Robert Levon Been are taking turns on vocals and even at one point switch bass and lead guitars. Leah Shapiro is the steady force who gives them a solid foundation, confidently playing the heavy grooves without any unnecessary finery.

We get treated to over 2 hours of greasy rock songs where Been addresses the crowd a few times, laughing at the people who are shouting. Halfway the band leaves and only Been returns for a solo acoustic performance of 'The Line'. When he leaves again, Hayes walks on stage again for his solo performance of 'Complicated Situation'. The fans are having a great time, forming a small pit in front of the stage during the wilder songs. The whole floor turns into a sweaty dancing mob, when the band closes the night with 'Whatever Happened to My Rock 'n' Roll'. This band answered it convincingly themselves, since they are keeping rock and roll alive. I'm definitely looking forward to their new album Wrong Creatures that is coming out in January.



All Pictures

Official Website | SoundCloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify

Setlist:
01. Little Thing Gone Wild
02. Bandung Hum
03. Beat the Devil's Tattoo
04. Ain't No Easy Way
05. King of Bones
06. Berlin
07. Conscience Killer
08. Haunt
09. Question of Faith
10. White Palms / I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier (John Lennon cover)
11. Stop
12. Carried From the Start
13. The Line
14. Complicated Situation
15. Shuffle Your Feet
16. Awake
17. 666 Conducer
18. Rifles
19. In Like the Rose
20. Six Barrel Shotgun
21. Spread Your Love
Encore
22. Red Eyes and Tears
23. Whatever Happened to My Rock 'n' Roll


Read more!

Rock Werchter 2013 Day 1: Wild Start

After our traditional pre-Werchter BBQ at friends in Belgium we make our way to the festival in no time. There's quite a big line outside the camping ground and we're afraid we may miss out on the first bands. But the line outside the festival site turns out to be quite short when we get there. We stack up on food and drink tickets, assure ourselves that Joe Piler's beers are fine again and find our way to the new KluBC tent that replaces the Pyramid Marquee.

Rock Werchter 2013 Day 1, July 4 2013



Fidlar
There we find a bunch of young lads working up a sweat playing punk songs. Fidlar, an acronym for "Fuck It Dog, Life's A Risk" (what's in a name), take the stage by storm. Their excitement is quite contagious and it doesn't take long before we see the first crowd surfers of the festival. It's nice to see this young band play a convincing set. It's only the first band of the festival and already we're smiling and feel right at home again. Keep them coming!

Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify



Palma Violets
Another young band are making their way over here from the UK on a small hype. Their hit song 'Best of Friends' was made the national anthem for this year and as I experienced myself earlier this year they know how to throw a party. They sure give it a good try but it's much harder to please a festival crowd this early at the day when they are still admiring the festival site and sipping their first beer. Although their big hit does make for a wild pit in front of the stage, many people decide to take a look elsewhere.



Official Website | SoundCloud | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace | YouTube | Spotify



Vintage Trouble
I didn't exactly get swept off my feet after listening to a few of Vintage Trouble's songs. It's a mix of soul and good old rhythm 'n' blues that seems a bit too neatly on record. But after seeing their performance on the David Letterman show, I knew it's a totally different ball game when they play live. They sure showed that today. Singer Ty Taylor is a charismatic entertainer who is really working hard to please the crowd. He's backed up by a lively and solid band. Their songs that sound more rough live on stage are definitely going down well with the crowd. It makes for the first pleasant surprise of this weekend.

Official Website | SoundCloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify



Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
We catch half of the show of Black Rebel Motorcycle club who have an early spot on the main stage. They're always good for some solid rock 'n' roll. The songs of the last album are a bit more slow though and this makes it hard for them to win many people over. Of course they have a few smash hits like 'Spread Your Love' up their sleeves to end on a high. But I'd rather see them in a dark sweaty club rocking me off my socks.



Official Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | MySpace | Spotify



Balthazar
Belgian band Balthazar sure have come a long way since I saw them live for the first time over here a few years back. Their second album is a huge success and their fanbase is growing fast. The tight set is showing why. The band is focused and the songs of both albums mix well. The skilful tracks leave a big impression in the tent. People all the way to the back are joining in to the 'Blood Like Wine' lyrics "Raise your glass to the nighttime and the ways". And so we raise our Joe Piler to the sky as well.

Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify



Biffy Clyro
I'm not really fond of this Scottish band's music. Especially their last few albums don't do it for me, after they made their sound more accessible and their music became more predictable. It turned into music for teenage girls now. But their big live reputation is preceding them so I want to see that for myself. They do a good job and play their songs well. It's a convincing performance that is enjoyed by a full tent. But still their music doesn't really appeal to me. Fans of the band had a great time though I'm sure.



Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify



The National
It's a different story for The National. I love their sad music. I don't care when people call it "music your dad likes". Live on stage it makes an even bigger impression. Singer Matt Berninger's intense performance and thundering voice give the songs even more power. He seems to be more relaxed and comfortable nowadays though. A huge screen that fills the entire back of the monstrous stage, supports the songs that are a nice overview of their catalogue. Berninger is looking for contact with the fans a lot and finds himself among them later on while continuing singing. The euphoria and bright environment are a strange contrast to the gloomy songs of this strong show. Looking forward to seeing their full show in November in the dark Heineken Music Hall!



Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify



Bloc Party
A drawing that was left in the dressing room at a festival last week, made clear this is going to be the last Bloc Party gig I'll ever see. The band is slowly imploding and will probably call it quits after they finish their tour later this month. In the meanwhile drummer Matt Thong already left the band. It is clear the band is in trouble. The chemistry is gone on stage and singer Kele Okereke isn't the charming, happy and chatty person he normally is. Instead the band is playing on routine and are probably dragging themselves to the end of the tour. It is still turning into a big party because the crowd is willing to throw one. Every song is greeted with big cheers. The big hits make the tent explode. This eventually has a positive effect on the band, who are playing better than to be expected. They couldn't have wished for a better Belgian farewell party.

Official Website | MySpace | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify



Green Day
After Billie Joe Armstrong had a breakdown last year, things didn't look good for Green Day. However rehab made him overcome his problems and Green Day are headlining festivals across Europe again. It's nothing you haven't seen them do before. It's the usual circus complete with dress-up parties and craziness. I don't think their music is that interesting and it is way too cheesy. But Armstrong looks like he's in shape, is performing well and the band are playing a worthy headline set.

Official Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify

We dance a bit with Netsky before it's time to check out some of the bars outside and go search for a cervela, that nice Belgian sausage, to celebrate this amazing day. But they're not selling them or are all gone. Better luck tomorrow.

Click here for more pictures

Rock Werchter 2013 Day 2
Rock Werchter 2013 Day 3
Rock Werchter 2013 Day 4

Read more!

BRMC On The Rebound

A Year before the 2011 Pukkelpop festival tragedy a different tragedy was taking place in Hasselt for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Bass player Robert Been's father, Michael Been, died of a heart attack backstage at the festival the band was playing. Been Sr. not only was family, but also the band's sound engineer. Maybe even more important, he was their mentor. Needless to say the band were a mess after this loss. And so the music became part of the mourning, which is so often the case with musicians. Specter At The Feast is the result of that process.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Specter At The Feast (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)

Despite several quiet songs, don't expect a mostly sad record with grieving ballads. The album has been recorded in their familiar sound. Meaning, plenty of lazy rock 'n' roll songs drenched in the smell of gasoline and leather. Although this time with a more heavy feel. 'Let The Day Begin' is a The Call cover, the band old Been was part of in the eighties. This song also became the album's first single. And so, obviously, Been's soul is all around on this album, not just in the lyrics but also in feeling.

The record however isn't always equally strong and slows down in the middle. 'Some Kind Of Ghost' and 'Sometimes The Light' are almost sacred songs that take out a lot of the flow. It's understandable what the band is trying to say here, but it may not have been the best choice to put them back to back in the track list. And that's mostly the biggest problem here. Every time after a few up-tempo songs, a slow moment follows and it never really comes up to speed. Closer 'Lose Yourself' doesn't really end the album on a high either. Fortunately most of the quiet songs are pretty much okay and the faster ones like 'Hate The Taste' and 'Let The Day Begin' sound great.

Specter At The Feast didn't turn into the best record of the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club discography. It has too many weak spots although those can be explained by the collective trauma the threesome suffered. It does give enough hope for the future though, since it looks like they were able to come out of that dark place they were in. And I'm sure with in mind Michael Been can rest in peace.



This review has been published on ROAR E-Zine in Dutch over here.

Listen to Specter At The Feast on Spotify.



Official Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | MySpace | Spotify

Read more!

Short Review: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat The Devil's Tattoo

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat The Devil's Tattoo (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
Almost ten years ago their self titled debut album immediately put them on the rock map. After this highly acclaimed debut it only slowly went down hill and with every album they seemed to loose a bit of credibility. Unfortunately this last album is not going to change that. Although returning to the sound of their early years it's all too predictable and never really takes off. One can only hope they will come up with another great album again where you can almost smell the oil, diesel, sweat and burning rubber of good honest dirty rock 'n roll (whatever happened to?). Read more!