Almost a decade after they began, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club remain something of a cult. The trio from San Francisco swept into fashion, particularly in Britain, with their debut album in 2001, and were bracketed with new rock traditionalists such as the White Stripes and the Strokes. But by the end of 2004 BRMC had lost momentum, along with their English drummer, Nick Jago, and were dropped by their record company.

Now Jago is back in the fold and the band’s fourth album, Baby 81, is scheduled for release on April 30. Having flirted with an acoustic, roots-Americana sound in Jago’s absence, they were back in full-on rock’n’roll mode for their gig at the Astoria this week. With a huge skull-and-crossed-microphones motif decorating the back wall of the stage and mist rolling in from the wings, the three black-clad figures began with Berlin, a typically nononsense track from the new album. “Suicide’s easy, what happened to the revolution?” they sang over an insistent, clanking, vaguely blues-derived riff.

The shadowy figures of the guitarist Peter Hayes and bass player Robert Levon Been provided a curious double act.

They have very similar voices, but neither is a particularly gifted singer. They batted the lead vocals back and forth between the two of them, and even swapped instruments during Need Some Air. But none of this made the slightest difference to the sound which, in keeping with their image, remained loud, murky and unvaryingly monochromatic. Two backing vocalists do not a convincing frontman make and, as the performance wore on, so the absence of an individual with responsibility for actually selling the show became more pronounced.

Although brilliant in patches, their pacing was pretty ropey too. Similar songs tended to be bunched together, while old favourites, including Red Eyes and Tears and Whatever Happened to my Rock’n’Roll (Punk Song), were thrown away mid-set.

They “ended” with the monumental psychedelic wigout of American X — their first song to feature a “real” guitar solo, according to Been — but were never going to leave it at that. An extended set of encores began with Been performing Devil’s Waitin’ alone on an acoustic guitar, a fine song and a welcome moment of contrast.

But interest waned as they ploughed on for several more numbers before finally reaching a long, late and indecisive climax. Their commitment to the cause was firm enough, but you could see why broader appeal remains elusive.

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