dotsanddashes.co.uk with Leah

Jumping in at the deep end's always a little terrifying, even with arm bands on. Joining bands fifteen years into their career however could be construed to be a rather bold, brash and quite possibly destructive decision. They say look before you leap but regardless, it'd surely be best to leap to cower away forever and a day... You'd never know what'd be awaiting in the abyss below, if not. Denmark's sultry ex-Raveonettes tom-tom ravager Leah Shapiro took life, health and sanity in her hands when she joined San Fran's leather-bound blues impresarios Black Rebel Motorcycle Club a couple of years back, and now she's on telepathic terms with the dirty bass rumbles of Robert's grungey Gibsons. Allegedly... Blinded by phosphorescent lights in the basement of Milan's Magazzini Generali, Shapiro's on the H₂0 for the minute. But then she's had her high school hedonistic kicks, back when current bandmates were just, well, kicking off...

Dots: Presumably integrating yourself within an act that's been doing the rounds for such a prolonged period of time isn't quite as easy as slipping into a pair of overstretched Cheap Mondays...

Leah Shapiro: It's been a little chaotic; chaotic and crazy to delve into a project that's as established as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has become, with such a dedicated following. That lumps a heap of pressure on me, given that there's a hell of a lot of people out there for me to disappoint if I don't really do that great a job so it's been a bit of a roller coaster ride, the past two years. Especially as I haven't really had a moment's respite to have a think about anything... Normally when you join a band you're not having to get to grips with such an extensive discography as Robert and Peter's either, so I had to really isolate myself and just relive and breath every piece of work they've done over the past decade or so. Then we went to record the latest record Beat The Devil's Tattoo. And now we're on the road again.

Dashes: I suppose B.R.M.C. have a little bit of a history with drummer traumas, involving inflatable penis phobias and the like. Do you feel as though you'll be due the odd complication at some point?

LS: Initially, things were a bit tetchy, anxious and nervous at not quite knowing how things would turn out but we tried not to dwell on that too extensively for fear of over-analysing and getting wound up by potential difficulties. Basically we just tried our damnedest to ensure that everything didn't just turn to shit.

Dots: Despite not being on board, or riding with the 'Motorcycle Club as it were for the folk departure that was Howl, the latest LP seems to have returned the dirty rock'n'roll equilibration we've come to expect from the band. Is this your most comfortable niché, or just an "easy way out"?

LS: We're all influenced by a shed load of diverse culture so it's hard to shave away any excess and resort to one-dimensional branding. I think the stylistic expression of Howl certainly makes up a part of who we are, but as far as this record goes we had no preceding concept of what it'd sound like, or what we wanted it to represent, following with my addition to the songwriting process.

Dashes: Reverting to influence, the band's evidently been inspired not just by other artists within the realms of music, but also Marlon Brando's leather-clad biker boys and presumably, copious amounts of ethanol. One thing that rips through the spine of B.R.M.C. is Robert's pulverising, distorted bass lines and presumably you now have a fairly fundamental role in backing him up in the rhythm department...

LS: What with bass and drums being almost partners in crime, we were joking during rehearsals that we could practically read each others' minds, tell where the other was going. Unspoken communication, bordering on telepathy.

Dots: Evidently music's now swaying towards scenes, bands clumping together etc. Without sounding prejudiced, you mightn't expect B.R.M.C. to be entirely in keeping with such tendencies, what with your records forget smelling, but almost sounding like Budweiser, Bourbon whiskey and Marlboro Reds...

LS: We're mostly inspired by older, dusty music but we do listen to contemporary stuff too. We're more inspired by each other though, rather than attempting to slot in and adapt with other bands floating around at any one point in time. We do what we do, and it's heartwarming to see people over here in Italy queuing up outside on the steps four hours before doors even open.

Dashes: Your accent sounds American. You're not from San Francisco though, are you...

LS: No, I'm actually from Denmark. When the band started out, I was drunkenly stumbling about high school.

Dots: Listening to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club..?

LS: No, I'd never heard of them. I'm not from Copenhagen so American music didn't really reach my ears much... There was no music scene whatsoever. Then when I was playing in a band called Dead Combo, we opened for The Raveonettes at the Mercury Lounge in New York so got in contact with them. Sune was living over there, as was I and we bumped into each other on a flight over from Copenhagen. Then we got absolutely hammered together. It was fun until hangovers and jet lags kicked in. Then about a week or two before the start of a Black Rebel tour they were without a drummer, so I got roped in. And here we are.

Dashes: Stylistically quite isolated, musically at least, has it been quite a struggle for you, as a band, to stay relevant..? There comes a point, say in May in Milan for instance, where leather jackets become slightly impractical...

LS: Everything, musically, is moving ridiculously quickly these days and I think attention spans are getting forever shorter too. It's got to the stage where fads come and go so quickly my brain can't really even keep up with it any more!

Dots: I suppose were you to go to SXSW and be greeted by 200 new bands in the space of 20 hours, all clamouring for your attention, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club may not top many wish lists...

LS: There's so much going on, and now so many different avenues down which people can encounter new music, so it's really quite tricky to stay relevant, yeah. Fortunately, it's not my job to sift through tons and tons of new music to find out who's any good.

Dashes: Supposedly, I guess it is mine more or less... At least the live scene's been boosted by people robbing whatever music they fancy online...

LS: Nothing beats going to a truly special concert, as it offers you an entirely new perspective on music and is a really unique experience I feel. It's amazing to be drawn into this whole other world.

Dots: In your humble opinion, disregarding line up alterations and altercations, is the core of the band the same as it ever was?

LS: I'm probably not the best person to answer that question but people change and I think that essentially, we're all still the same people. The brotherhood between Peter and Robert, and the family environment generated by our crew makes us feel as though we're all in this together which, you know, is nice...

Dashes: Finally, without too intentionally coming across as slightly sexist towards both women and men, being the sole female presence amongst hordes of sweaty, leathered blokes both in terms of jacket and state of intoxication, have you found that slightly taxing at times?

LS: No, not really. They're not the crazy degenerates for which rock'n'roll can sometimes be renowned and quite honestly, women have every capability of being just as awful as any guy could be, whether that be a slob or a pig or what have you.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club tour Europe alarmingly extensively, before playing Paris' Rock en Seine festival this August.