The MC5 were more than a little bit tasty when they first flared up so there was no real reason why the world wasn't going to go all gooey eyed over them again this time around. We've all gladly flopped our bellies out here ready for them to come tickle us and we're busy rolling around on the floor like a particularly daft dog with worms. We couldn't love this band anymore if we tried Jesus so thank you for sending them to us again.
Like Opal Fruits and Oil of Ulay before them though the MC5 have seen fit to rebrand themselves for a sleek and shiny new-improved future. The MC5 now call themselves At the Drive-In and they've pared down their set to one rumbustious rip through 'Ramblin' Rose' which they repeat about a dozen times with a dozen different names. Or failing that they blast away until the sheer purple-faced passion of their show brings them to their knees or until they've simply run out of guitars to break. Phewww!
Well they certainly haven't aged much; Christ, if anything they're even thicker of hair and skinnier of hip than the fuzzyheaded firebrands that put the politics into garage rock about 30 years ago. These boys are the future of rock 'n' roll as we imagined the future of rock 'n' roll to be back when Charlie was getting all crazy down in Saigon or when Neil Armstrong was gleefully bouncing around and fluffing his lines. It's ramalama crammed here tonight with kids who no more remember the MC5 Mark 1 than they marched on the American Embassy or stayed up all night to watch the moon landing on a tiny black and white TV.
Which is why we love them all over again. They're fresh! They're new! They've only got one tune which isn't really a tune at all just a funky black belch of sulphur that makes the inside of your ears itch; 'Wishing Well' was what they called it one time out and it makes you want to put your fist through something fragile and then run off laughing before the filth turn up.
They're great! They're a mucky mess called the MC5! They're the MC5 it's ok to call At the Drive-In and who cares if you've heard it all before? The world's full of wet behind the ears young nippers who haven't and that's what counts. It also affords us smartarses the chance to come over all smug and say 'yeah, very good but it's the MC5.' Which is pretty much where we came in. I'm off now to kick those pesky jams out again...
Images: Debbie Smyth
