This San Francisco, California, USA-based unit's dark psychedelic rock carries on in the great tradition of the Velvet Underground, although they are closer in spirit and sound to the mid-80s UK scene based around the Creation Records bands the Jesus And Mary Chain and Primal Scream. High school friends Robert Turner (b. Robert Levon Been, California, USA; guitar, bass, vocals) and Peter Hayes (b. Minnesota, USA; guitar, bass, vocals), formed the band with Nick Jago (b. Iran; drums) in October 1998. Originally called the Elements, the trio subsequently renamed themselves after Marlon Brando's motorcycle gang in the seminal 50s movie The Wild One. The trio began performing around San Francisco and recorded and produced a limited edition demo CD. This attracted the attention of several major labels, but it was Virgin Records who signed the band in March 2000. The trio recorded B.R.M.C. at their home studio and Sound City in Los Angeles. Released in April 2001, the album gained strong reviews on both sides of the Atlantic from critics enamoured of the band's aggressive guitars and haunting melodies.
The similarly-styled follow-up Take Them On Your Own was released by Virgin in 2003. The following spring the trio announced they were leaving Virgin, and shortly afterwards Jago departed the line-up. The errant drummer later returned to help finish the recording of the surprisingly effective acoustic blues set, Howl.
