Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Taking their name from Marlon Brando's gang in the 1953 movie 'The Wild One', Black Rebel Motorcycle Club were formed by two schoolfriends from Lafayette in the San Francisco Bay area: Peter Hayes (who'd previously played with the Brian Jonestown Massacre) and Robert Been (son of Michael Been of The Call). Adding Iranian-born drummer Nick Jago, with Hayes and Been sharing lead vocals, they formulated a hard rock approach based on their heroes Led Zeppeli, but quickly articulated their own distinctive style as they utilised psychedelia and other influences. Been used the name Robert Turner on the band's early releases to avoid comparisons with his father. They released their first album 'B.R.M.C.' in 2001 and their second 'Take Them On, On Your Own' in 2003, building an avid following with the power of their live sets. A wider range of influences featured on the group's stripped-down third album 'Howl' (2005) when they toured with temporary fourth member guitarist Spike Keating, but a partying lifestyle and tensions within the band resulted in the departure of Nick Jago, to be replaced by Leah Shapiro, formerly with The Raveonettes. There were also record company disputes but the group continued to be a compelling live attraction while releasing the albums 'Baby 81' (2007), 'The Effects of 333' (2008) and 'Beat the Devil's Tattoo' (2010). Their seventh album 'Specter at the Feast' was released in 2013 and featured a cover of The Call's 'Let the Day Begin' which they offered as a free download through their website. The song was released as a tribute to Robert's father who passed away in 2010. They announced that they were working on album number eight which they eventually released in 2018 under the title 'Wrong Creatures'.

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