Originally Posted 12/11/2006
MC5/DKT Live The Underworld Camden 7.12.06.
With Gallows.
This show was a warm-up for the Nightmare before
Xmas festival, and as such came with a bunch of
rumours as to special guests, the most prevalent
being that the Stooges would support or that Iggy
would join them. Or that Gilbey Clarke would be
playing Guitar.
Well no such luck but it didn’t stop this being a
special gig, the chance to see this legendary
band playing in a small club that hadn’t even
sold out in advance.
First on were Gallows who are a young skinhead
punk band with a Wee Ginger Gobshite of a
frontman who looks far too young for all the
tattoo’s he has, including a spectacular double
headed eagle on his chest.
They played splenetic angry punk that was either
about getting into fights or how to treat your
woman right while getting into fights! In-between
songs the singer kept asking for volunteers to
punch him in the gob but got no takers that
seemed to anger him some more. Either way they
were pretty damn good.
We then had a long wait for the MC5 as it took
over an hour to set the stage up for them, which
made for an agitated and expectant and finally
sold out crowd by the time they came on and
opened as a four piece of DKT and an ex-Sisters
Of Mercy Guitarist whose name I didn’t catch and
launched into Ramblin’ Rose with Michael Davis on
vocals and a we were launched into a fearsome
powertrip through there back catalogue, with Mark
Arm stepping up to the mic for a cool as hell
version of Sister Ann and I want You Right now
they were starting to burn as they got down to
the Borderline, Over and Over they just Gotta
Keep Movin towards that Starship with Brother
Wayne Kramer trading lines with Mark and Michael
before launching into space once more with a song
called Starship!!
Then up came Lisa Kekaula to take over on vocals
and the band ramped it up a notch or two for I
want You right now and Tonight Tonight oh hell
yeah Tonight alright as we all need to Come
Together that had good shared vocals and well we
had all better get ready to Kick Out The Jams
Mother fucker, oh did that one rip the place
apart with everyone singing along. I Believe to
My Soul sounded like it was written for Lisa to
sing, damn she has a great voce and image with a
super BAAD Afro to shake on down with.
The encores opened with I’m The Man For You (Rama
Lama Fa fa fa) with a dollop of Rocket Reducer
thrown in for good measure and a brave move by
Brother Wayne in getting the audience to sing
three different lines at once in sections, wow
that was one powerful song.
Oh no Motor City is still burning as indeed are
the MC5 after all these years.
They then dedicated Revolutionary Blues to the
fight to stop the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. it
kicked like hell and assured them of another encore
that let them rip through American problems
and closed it all with a good bow for the
audience and were gone.
I have to say everyone I spoke to loved it, a
great great show by one of the original Punk rock
gods catch em while they are still alive!!
simonovitch 