There are bands that come and go, and then there are bands
that come and go that you wish you had seen in that small little venue, up
close and personal, drinking a beer with them when you had the chance. Tonight
is one of those nights I am grateful for live music. Black Box Revelation took
the stage last Thursday at The Shelter, the dingy little dive bar that hardly
needs any introduction to any fans of live music in Detroit. Three weeks in to a summer
headlining tour, having just finished opening for Jane’s Addiction for a month,
the band kicked off a blistering set of in your face 60’s/70’s era garage rock
that would have found them right at home at the original Woodstock.
The energetic duo from Brussels,
Belgium
unleashed a wall of sound upon the audiences’ ears from the first lick and kick
of guitar pedal. Jan’s mastery of his guitar and pedal-board was transcendental,
as if he were channeling every guitar icon he idolized in to an aural crushing,
pounding wave of riffs and solos. Across the stage from him, Dries pummels his
drums, wrenching every bit of sound he can from his kit. Hair swinging, sweat
flying, he brings a presence of sound to the show that could fill even the
largest arena.
The familiarity of their music shines through with their new
song “My Perception”, where their love of the Rolling Stones really shines
through, but unique enough to truly call it their own. “High on a Wire” brings
some seedy blues licks to a foot tapping beat, making you get down and groove. Each
song they played kept building off the energy of the last one, getting the
crowd in to it more and more, even getting a few dancers to groove their booty to the tunes.
