Black Rebel Motorcycle Club burst onto the scene in 2000 with ‘B.R.M.C.‘, a rollicking, reverb-drenched, fuzz laden album of face punch rock. “Love Burns” from that LP still has the capacity to send chills down my forearms. Their follow up LP, “Take Them On, On Your Own” offered more of the same power that could steam-roll you flat if you weren’t bothering to pay attention, but offered little departure from ‘B.R.M.C.’ and fell flat for me.
And then along came ‘Howl‘, an album that if I hadn’t seen them perform live, I wouldn’t believe it was even the same band. How a band can go from the Jesus and Mary Chain to some back country gospel and blues in 2 years I will never know. It’s unabashed departure from their first two LP’s is so drastic that I’m very skeptical they could really mean any of it… an inside joke where they laugh a little on the inside when they coo “I will walk with Jesus, till I can’t go any more.” But that album is shit hot, inside joke or not.
‘Baby 81‘ offered a return to their original sound, but unfortunately the old sound resulted in an album of forgettable haze and noise, an average 90s throw-back album in modern day 2007. Enter ‘Live‘, a 2 DVD set with a bonus live CD. The CD covers three 2007 sold out shows in Berlin, Dublin and Glasgow and is basically just a random selection from the DVD, which is the real draw here (and which has been getting some solid reviews). Now, my idea of a solid live album is one that captures something that a studio version cannot: energy, showmanship, and a continuous stream of songs exactly as they appeared in concert, with the misplaced distortion, the occasional amplifier feedback, the short jokes between songs, the screams from the crowd, even the annoying chatter in the background.
But why an accomplished act, whose live shows happen to be their lifeblood, resort to a mixed bag of tunes from three different nights – three nights of varying emotion and vigor, of different weather, of different lunches, of different bus rides and fans – I will never know. A random assortment of songs with no intensity is the last attribute that should be attached to the term “live”. The songs that make up this album offer no heart and very few tracks should be repeated multiple times. If I want to hear the real BRMC, I’ll go back to the original studio cuts or to another live show.
My ideal BRMC album includes their trademark distorted melodies, with a heavy dose of their “Howl” inspired folk. Word on the street is that we’re going to get that from their March release ‘Beat the Devil’s Tattoo‘. I’m looking forward to the new album and hoping to forget ‘Live‘.
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Review by Adam, Aka Simon & Cougarfunkel
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TRACKS-
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A couple of months back I saw underground mastersCursive at the wonderfully intimate Dingwalls in Camden. Living in London means I am fortunate to have access to live performances by some of the finest bands in the world and this show was no exception.
Front man Tim Kasher and co’s latest recorded offering ‘Mama I’m Swollen’ got me pretty excited at the time of release and lived up to expectations in the long run possibly surpassing the dizzy heights of their previous releases. I was intrigued to hear what live incarnation their new tracks would take. Every time I’ve seen this outfit I have been so consistently blown away that expectations were justifiably high. Needless to say the band delivered.
Kasher climbs across railings and stumbles from speakers, delivering every syllable with such conviction that he literally dictates the beholder’s emotional state, dragging them from laughter, to near tears and ultimately satisfied smugness. new drummer Cully Symington adds fresh dynamics with metronomic precision. Here are one of those rare bands whose live performances are even more impressive than their masterful recorded work.
In my drunken state I slurred something about Cursive shows being “a religious experience for the Atheist”. To phrase it slightly more soberly, these guys are true masters of their art and incredibly clever fellows too.
On July 24thDeath Cab for Cutie got ready to play their second low key gig in Camden this summer. Having missed their previous May appearance at The Electric Ballroom I was determined to catch them this time. The fact that I had spent many nights in this North London venue when it still went by the legendary Camden Palace name just added to my intrigue.
First of, what the hell have they done in there?! I had not visited since the 2004 shutting down and subsequent redevelopment of the venue and my immediate reaction was revulsion. Though the area would benefit from more up market alternatives to some of the local hangouts the direction they went with is simply vulgar. The Clash played here for fuck sake, what would they have made of the ridiculous amount of red liberally splashed all around or the Death Star Canteen wannabe bar. Simply put, the place has been reduced to looking like a substandard whore house. Rant over.
Death Cab hit the stage to a rowdy reception from the sold out 1500 capacity crowd. Despite the fact a small number of punters seemingly attended solely due to the sponsor for the night they were easily drowned out by the hardcore contingent cheering on every song. Ben Gibbard and his troops could relax now knowing most of the people in attendance would sing back every lyric, know every drum beat and recreate every guitar sound.
Having already seen Death Cab live I knew they had a habit for delivering scintillating live performances and, despite a less than perfect sound at the venue and a few technical difficulties, tonight was no difference. As usual the indie rock legends ticked all the right boxes playing with high enthusiasm, not missing a note and delivering breathtaking renditions of the fan favourites. What impressed the most was that tracks such as ‘Cath…’, ‘No Sunrise’ and the haunting ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’ from the new release Narrow Stairs blend in effortlessly with their back catalogue and sound like classics in the making. By the time the band performed their closer ‘Transatlanticism’ they had every person in attendance’s concentration.
Here is a video I shot from the upper balcony of the stunning ‘I Will Follow You Into The Dark’.
I add the amazing tracks ‘Bixby Canyon Bridge’ and ‘Cath…’ from the new album as well as two of my all time favourite tracks from the previous releases ‘Soul Meets Body’ and ‘The New Year’, now if they could just avoid Koko!
I’ve already mentioned i had been planning to write this blog for a while now. I had already picked the name a while ago and was just waiting for something to kick start it all so why start now?
Well, in the past couple of months I’ve had the privilege to see some awesome artists who reaffirmed my love for live music and breathed new life into songs i knew inside out. I must say that i am a bit of a cynic and this is not helped by the fact that for a while i saw 4 or 5 gigs a week for both work and pleasure. I admit i lost a bit interest as an increasing amount of bands went through the motions. However, now that I’m mainly going to gigs to have a good time and mostly seeing bands i actually want to see i get to see performances that really make me stand up and notice.
…And that is precisely what happened on Friday the 11th when we went to see JUSTICE play live in London. Having already seen them support CSS earlier in the year i was eager to find out what the French DJ’s would produce for their headline show in the superb surroundings and beautiful acoustics of Somerset House.
I’m sure i don’t need to go into too much detail about the duo as seemingly anyone who is anyone has blogged the fuck out of this band. Suffice to say the boys didn’t disappoint in what was a near spiritual experience. Transferred to a live setting the hour long set sounded immense while the boys oozed cocky self assurance belting out hit after hit. Even the rain seemed to pour when ever there was a crescendo and lull when the music quietened down adding to the entire experience.
Here’s a video someone posted on YouTube of the gig which partly captures the atmosphere.
I add the track ‘Let There Be Light‘ which may not be as instantly recognisable as some of their other songs but sounded incredible live and of course i wouldnt be a cliched aspiring blogger if i didnt post the remix that kickstarted Justice’s rise to fame ‘Never Be Alone’
If you are looking for something to do in London this Saturday i strongly advise you to check out Raid On The Arcade playing live at The Good Ship in Kilburn. I’m sure i will blog more about this promising new three piece but in the meantime check out a video from their last London show.
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Black Rebel Motorcycle Club burst onto the scene in 2000 with ‘B.R.M.C.‘, a rollicking, reverb-drenched, fuzz laden album of face punch rock. “Love Burns” from that LP still has the capacity to send chills down my forearms. Their follow up LP, “Take Them On, On Your Own” offered more of the same power that could steam-roll you flat if you weren’t bothering to pay attention, but offered little departure from ‘B.R.M.C.’ and fell flat for me.
