Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have issued a cease-and-desist notice to US Homeland Security over their use of the band’s music.
On Tuesday, the US federal department posted a social media recruitment video that quotes the Bible and includes a clip of the band’s version of the traditional American folk song ‘God’s Gonna Cut You Down’, which they released last year.
On Thursday, the band responded to the video by writing on Instagram: “It has come to our attention that the Department of Homeland Security is improperly using our recording of ‘God’s Gonna Cut You Down’ in your latest propaganda video.”
“It’s obvious that you don’t respect Copyright Law and Artist Rights any more than you respect Habeas Corpus and Due Process rights, not to mention the separation of Church and State per the US Constitution. For the record, we hereby order @dhsgov to cease and desist the use of our recording and demand that you immediately pull down your video.“
They added: “Oh, and go f… yourselves.”
At time of writing, the Homeland Security post remains on their social channels. Watch the video, and BRMC’s response, below.
Elsewhere, BRMC are coming to the UK and Europe for 21 dates in November and December to mark the 20th anniversary of their album ‘Howl’. It kicks off in Copenhagen’s Den Gra Hal on November 18 and will include shows in Glasgow, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham and Bristol before wrapping up in London’s Troxy on December 17. Find the full list of dates here any remaining tickets here.
The band have not released an album since 2018’s ‘Wrong Creatures’, their eighth studio record in total. NME’s three-star review said: “It needs a little more ‘bite’, a few more musical highs and some lyrical depth to feel essential, but BRMC still have the songs to pull off a record that matters. They’re still doing it, and doing it well – there’s your rock’n’roll.”
