Where have the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club been for so long, when music has needed them so bad?
Well, doing the usual things young outlaws do: finishing their high school education, gigging at San Francisco and Los Angeles clubs, and listening extensively to Velvet Underground and Stone Roses albums.
A couple of years have passed and now it’s the perfect time for America and the rest of the world to get to know the B.R.M.C.’s fresh rock and roll. They are still young, rebellious, and severely influenced by Brit pop and N.Y.C.-style rock, but now they also have a debut, self-titled album out under Virgin Records, who unlike with most artists, have allowed them almost complete control over their music production and recording.
The San Francisco trio started playing together in November 1998, when high school friends guitarist and singer Peter Hayes, 23, and bassist Robert Turner,22, united with British drummer Nick Jago, 22. Soon enough, what was briefly given the title “the Bay Area’s best kept secret,” the B.R.M.C. started receiving calls from record companies and appraisals from recognized musicians like Oasis’ Liam Gallagher and The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, due to their 1999 independently-produced 13 song demo and their local shows.
After signing with Virgin Records and recording their debut, they were immediately invited to join the Dandy Warhols on tour throughout the U.S. and also played in the 2001 Sundance Festival with other accomplished acts.
Mere days after the band finished mixing their self-produced debut, they were asked to join the Dandy Warhols on several U.S. tours. They were also invited to play the 2001 Sundance Festival alongside some of the most interesting acts in the business.
The B.R.M.C.’s music takes the best of different genres and combines them in a melodic, ominous noise. They resemble a mix of the 1970s hard rock of Led Zeppelin, 1990s Brit pop, like the Manic Street Preachers, to a slight New Wave influence from Joy Division and Depeche Mode.
“We make the music we like and enjoy, and hope people will give it a chance,” says Turner. That should not be a concern for B.R.M.C. Like fellow new artists The Strokes, they have rapidly gained a large following, a lot of media attention and critical acclaim. Currently the B.R.M.C. are supporting Spiritualized on their April U.S. tour.