if you think about it, rock is mostly about dirtiness, uncomfort and frustration. But during last week's Black Rebel Motorcycle Club show at Somerset House those sentiments were conveyed just through the music and for once not in the overall concert-going experience. With some of the best conditions I have ever witnessed at a gig in terms of personal space (enough people (it was sold-out) to make you feel you were part of something, but also enough room to let you breathe and move at ease) or organization, this was one concert that really was all about the music. So kudos to the organizers, these people are often mentioned in a negative light even though I'm sure it must not be an easy job.
To be fair the perfect conditions don't mean a thing if the performances aren't there, and on that aspect the boys in black from BRMC did not disappoint. Whether it was when unleashing their thumpier tunes (Whatever Happened To My Rock n Roll, Took Out A Loan) and thereby eliciting an awe-inspiring number of beer-showers, or taking things back with the slower but soulful numbers from their acoustic blues-influenced third LP Howl, the show was a solid 2 hours of the many facets of good old-fashioned rock music. They might have played a few too many of their unhurried songs in the second half of the gig, but all was very quickly forgotten when they gave the audience a rousing rendition of Spread Your Love which launched a modest but spirited moshpit session at the front, which my friend and I briskly joined. The following picture should give you an idea of that experience:
To be fair the perfect conditions don't mean a thing if the performances aren't there, and on that aspect the boys in black from BRMC did not disappoint. Whether it was when unleashing their thumpier tunes (Whatever Happened To My Rock n Roll, Took Out A Loan) and thereby eliciting an awe-inspiring number of beer-showers, or taking things back with the slower but soulful numbers from their acoustic blues-influenced third LP Howl, the show was a solid 2 hours of the many facets of good old-fashioned rock music. They might have played a few too many of their unhurried songs in the second half of the gig, but all was very quickly forgotten when they gave the audience a rousing rendition of Spread Your Love which launched a modest but spirited moshpit session at the front, which my friend and I briskly joined. The following picture should give you an idea of that experience:
The band then played one more song before leaving the stage to raucous applause, though it isn't always easy to gauge the mood in such an open space, especially when you're near the front. But the discussions overheard on our way out seemed to confirm my personal feeling of great satisfaction. Rock is a pretty simple thing, and as such a good rock concert just is, no highfalutin explanation necessary.
BONUS:
- more pictures in my flickr set
- video from Whatever Happened To My Rock n Roll:
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