Hard rock is alive and kicking with Tel Aviv based grunge rockers Noble Brats.
By JONATHAN BECKnoble brats 248.88(photo credit: Courtesy)
Noble Brats, a Tel Aviv-based rock band that performs exclusively in English, firmly believes that "rock was made to be sung in English." While not all will subscribe to this view, one can be thankful that they do not suffer from Sarit Hadad Scary-Accent Syndrome (remember - if you dare - her belting out "Light a Candle" in the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest).
Made up of musicians who grew up listening to bands of the great grunge movement of the '90s, Noble Brats draw their inspiration from Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth, among others. And although they describe themselves as "alternative rock", they fuse new sounds and the influence of post-2000 rockers with classic rock elements like heart-on-sleeve lyrics and unabashed falsetto harmonies.
Wavering between rock crooning, screaming and even the occasional Heavy Metal growl, lead singer Yaniv Peleg's versatile voice brings to mind vocalists like Chris Cornell (of Soundgarden fame) or Pearl Jam front-man Eddie Vedder.
After adding a second guitarist to the standard rock band four-member lineup relieved Peleg from the duties of playing rhythm guitar, members Yaron Landsberg and Michael Vider, both able musicians, share the roles of rhythm- and solo- guitar. With an exceptionally tight rhythm section from drummer Elior Solomon and bassist Alon Shulman, the band's on stage performance lives up to the standards of their eponymous debut EP, plus added energy and drive.
Their EP, in fact, was originally recorded live-in-the-studio as a demo to be pitched to record labels, but the demand at gigs was such that they decided to issue it as a mini-album.
During their show tonight (Friday) at the Sublime in Tel Aviv, Noble Brats will perform songs from the EP as well as several newer numbers. While the newer material tends to be slightly heavier, the Brats never lapse into the excesses of full-fledged Heavy Metal: they keep their riffs and song-structures economic and always avoid noise for noise's sake.
In 2008, after Heavy Metal morphed into Nu-Metal and alternative rock almost 20 years old, Noble Brats prove that well performed rock songs based on infectious guitar licks and demonic drumming are still very much a hot commodity.
At 22:30, tonight (Friday), Sublime, 53 Salameh Road, Tel Aviv. No cover charge. (The band can be sampled online at noblebrats.com or myspace.com/noblebrats.)
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