Every February, San Francisco’s Popscene carpet-bombs the Bay Area’s favorite music venues, large and small, with dozens of indie acts spanning several days. Thursday night found Popscene hosting local favorites Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at the historic Fox Theater in Oakland for a headlining set supported by Night Beats in what would amount to an evening of fuzz from a pair of power trios.
Out front, Telegraph Boulevard was calm as concert goers trickled into the Fox to be met by blasts of distortion-heavy psychedelic garage rock from Night Beats whose ample 40 minute set warmed up the room on this unseasonably cold night.
With little fanfare, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club took the stage to hoots and hollers from around the room as they tore into their set. Moody, and plodding yet musical, the dark set was punctuated by frequent blasts of light that revealed Peter and Robert, both sporting black leather, trading vocal duties while drummer Leah Shapiro kept things tight on drums.
The setlist thoroughly covered the band’s full catalog but pulled heavily from their January release, Wrong Creatures, which marked their 8th album and first in nearly five years. Sliding in the new tunes easily between the more familiar, BRMC gave the audience exactly what they came for … that tried and true BRMC sound.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
NIGHT BEATS
Night Beats
Night Beats
Night Beats
Night Beats
Night Beats
Night Beats
Night Beats
Night Beats
