Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ The State Theatre, State College, PA

April 22nd, 2008 - by Che Steadman

East Coast, Rock, Shows

I went out to the State Theatre last Sunday to see Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I’ve been a fan of the band since 2005’s Howl. That album was filled with acoustic blues-stompers and earthy Americana. It was a departure for a band that built its reputation on heavily overdriven garage rock, but that record’s sound is the standard by which I’ve measured the band since it was the first I heard.

Therein lies the problem.

The California band, named after Marlon Brando’s motorcycle gang in 1953 flick The Wild One, built a reputation as a psychedelic garage-blues band with its first two albums. The most recent, Baby 81, was a return to this form. BRMC was at its best with Howl, but Baby 81 proved that record wasn’t representative of the actual character of the band. I came in to the show with unreasonable expectations, and as a result I was a little disappointed.

Londoners The Duke Spirit opened the show. Bleach-blonde singer Leila Moss noticeably evoked Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, wailing over walls of guitar. With her blonde locks, cute British accent and bluesily raspy croon, she exuded sex appeal no American Idol-produced pop tart could ever hope to match. In retrospect, the Spirit might actually have been the better band to take the stage this evening, and they left me in high spirits despite the general apathy of the audience.

At one point, Moss practically begged the audience to move around, asking, “How are those seats? Comfortable?” Unfortunately, the State Theatre is ill suited to the kind of audience involvement that befits this band. Even so, the Spirit turned in a fun and respectable performance.

BRMC didn’t take the stage for more than an hour after the opening act finished. The crowd grew progressively more restless, cheering when a song with the opening lyrics “I’m getting tired of waiting” came on the PA.

An explosion of strobe lights engulfed the theater when the band finally took the smoke-shrouded stage. The lights were pointed toward the audience, which proved to be immensely distracting throughout the show. At times, it felt as if the audience was under attack from the stage. My notes include such choice phrases as:

• “Never point strobes at the audience. Thanks.”
• “More strobes… having trouble seeing to write this”

and

• “Punctuated by the strobes from hell”

I can’t be completely sure anyone else feels so strongly about strobe lights, but it sure as hell put me in a crappy mood and seriously infringed on my enjoyment of the music. I digress.

Guitarist Peter Hayes and bassist Robert Levon Been split the vocal duties, with Nick Jago on drums. Hayes’ deep, smooth voice balanced well with Been’s more nasal delivery. The set list included several cuts from Howl.

Unfortunately, the band played both of that album’s two best songs, “Shuffle Your Feet” and “Ain’t No Easy Way,” near the beginning of the set. Both of these were harmonic and acoustic guitar-driven blues stomps, while the rest of the songs in the set were enjoyable psychedelic rockers played with earnest intensity.

The transitions between acoustic and electric numbers were a little jarring. Because the State Theatre is a venue better suited for the former, an all-acoustic performance from the band would probably have been more desirable.

The rest of the people in attendance didn’t seem to mind the strobes and the odd order of the set list. After the first number, Hayes thanked the audience for its support. The man a few seats down from me took to howling “Thank you!” at the band following every song. Though he was genuinely thanking the band for making a stop in State College, I had never before heard the phrase coming from the crowd instead of the stage and felt accordingly uncomfortable every time he said it.

I’m still a fan of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and I’m glad I went to the show, but the next time they come through Pennsylvania, they might be opening for the Duke Spirit instead of the other way around.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Ain’t No Easy Way
[audio:http://www.52shows.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/04-aint-no-easy-way.mp3]