MC50 Shepherds Bush Empire 12/11/18

Fifty years on from the live recording of the MC5’s incendiary Kick Out The Jams debut LP Wayne Kramer fronted a five-piece band who reproduced those eight tracks with a professionalism the original 5 could never muster. In addition to Wayne on trademark Stars ‘n’ Stripes guitar the band was Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) on rhythm guitar, Brendan Canty (Fugazi) on drums, Billy Gould (Faith No More) on bass and Marcus Durant (Zen Guerilla) on vocals, looking unnervingly like Mick Farren. Ramblin’ Rose and Kick Out The Jams made for a knockout opening duo and if Starship remains a sub-Hawkwind dirge then Borderline and Rocket Reducer 62 more than compensated.

Support Michael Monroe (ex-Hanoi Rocks) leant his pink saxophone to the coda of a sizzling Sister Anne and stayed on for the ballad Let Me Try, a welcome change of pace. Absent comrades Fred Sonic Smith. Michael Davies, Dennis Thompson and Rob Tyner were all saluted and the set concluded with a ferocious cover of Van Morrison’s I Can Only Give You Everything and a politically charged encore of Looking At You. Brother Wayne at 70 – still testifying, still dancing and an example to us all.

Review written for Record Collector magazine

Picture Credit: Simon Nicholl

Here are the first three songs from the gig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyTJBRQJJWE

And finally here is how my review looked when it appeared in the January 2019 edition of Record Collector magazine: