Kevin Bronson on August 7th, 2014

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Review and photos by Michelle Shiers

For a band that constantly sings about pulling oneself out of personal darkness, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club certainly like to adorn themselves in it. Since 2001, BRMC have been shuffling their feet in smoke and shadows to their own brand of dirty psychedelic blues, prevailing over a lineup change, an artistic moment of truth, the public’s changing tastes and even personal tragedy.

Through six albums – the last, 2013’s “Specter at the Feast,” made after the death of bassist Robert Levon Been father, Michael Been – BRMC have sought salvation in rushes of sneering rock ’n’ roll fervor and brooding blues quicksand. And their evolution from shoegazing garage-rockers to bluesy purveyors of Americana (on 2005’s “Howl”) and back to leather-jacketed hard-rockers has won them a devout following.

Those devotees turned out en masse Tuesday at the Observatory for BRMC’s career-spanning performance, defined as it often is, by rushes of distorted guitar riffs and the dual-frontman snarls of Been and Peter Hayes.

Opening the night with 2010’s chest-thumping “Beat The Devils Tattoo,” BRMC started their two hours with a sneer. The heavy and menacing sludge of “Red Eyes and Tears” and the quick-burning urgency of “Berlin,” as well as the stripped-down “Gospel Song” and harmonica-accented “Screaming Gun,” showed BRMC’s ability to loosen and tighten their audience.

Drummer Leah Shapiro’s style was tight and heavy but also laid-back as each cymbal crash punctuated the trio’s signature grit that grew into a raw garage/blues/punk/rock feast as the night went on. Fans on the floor were revved like an engine during the oldest tracks, and the sleazy swagger of “Spread Your Love” lifted them into a frenzy with its scuzzy guitars and hell-raising growls. Encore songs “Fire Walker” and “Sell It” were no match for closer “Whatever Happened To My Rock N Roll (Punk Song),” which put the band on the map back in ’01, with an unhinged Been giving the crowd one last glimpse of his bass held high like a rock ’n’ roll rifle.

The night began with a set from Los Angeles band the Janks. Fronted by brothers Zachary and Dylan Zmed and including drummer Leon Ledoux and bassist Nate Light, the Janks brightened an otherwise dark crowd with their pop/folk/rock gems and furious guitar solos. The night’s collection of catchy melodies and jangly guitar hooks yielded many new fans. Their slower-burning tracks like “Living In Denial” showed off the brothers’ harmonic prowess, and the opera-tinged attention-grabbers like “Rat Racers” proved that the Janks can pack a punch.