Austinist Show Preview: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Antone's tonight

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club brings its leather jacket strut and guitar-rock grit to Antone’s tonight. The California act’s first two records, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Take Them On Your Own, conjured up anthemic rock with its fair share of noisy feedback and shoegazing tendencies, resulting in instant classics like “Love Burns”, “Whatever Happened To My Rock 'N' Roll (punk song)”, and “Stop.” The three-piece then changed its tune a bit, shifting course with album number three, Howl (released in 2005), which was a primarily acoustic, extremely bluesy, sometimes country flavored record that had loyal fans a tad mystified. However, Howl did not disappoint in terms of quality and was followed by 2007’s Baby 81, which harnessed the swagger and stomp of their earlier work while also harboring the roots of Howl. Even though the in-your-face immediacy and unavoidable panache of the first two albums seemed a bit toned down (for better or for worse), there was little doubting the band’s ability to churn out memorable hooks and catchy melodies. Crunching blues ditties (“Took Out A Loan”), chant-along chorus’ (“Weapon Of Choice”), lengthy jams (“American X”), and radio-friendly fare (“Cold Wind” and “All You Do Is Talk”) kept Baby 81 enjoyable if not fresh, engaging if not ground-breaking.

If there’s one thing that has remained unchanged over the course of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s career, it’s the plain and simple fact that this trio knows how to put on a rock show. We’ve witnessed some sizzling performances by the band at La Zona Rosa, The Parish, and Stubb’s in years past, so Antone’s and its fine patrons tonight best be prepared for an energetic live show and a blistering dose of rock 'n' roll.

[Black Rebel Motorcycle Club MySpace]
[The Strange Boys MySpace]