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| MAINLINE
David Holmes & Andrew Weatherall Empire, Belfast 16/12/06 Brothers and sisters we are here to testify and witness the power of the legendary Motor City 5, a true testimonial. Everything about this gig turned out to be just right on the night. So full marks to the organisers for putting in the effort and creating an atmosphere that was perfect for the ocassion right down to the design of the gig posters. The music played before and after the bands was spot on, along with random 60's/70's images that flashed up on a large DVD screen suspended from the ceiling. I thought it was a compilation CD playing? But there were DJ's (David Holmers & Andrew Weatherall) up on the balcony playing good old crackly 7" Pebbles/Nuggets garage punk vinyl from the likes of the Trashmen, Count 5, Standells, Cramps etc. Mixed in with a little Public Image Ltd and the Clash and it all worked really well. First band on were Mainline who are from Dublin. They were all sporting the familiar indie floppy fringes and sounding like a dour mix between the Velvet Underground and the Jesus And Mary Chain, minus their ever present feedback. They plodded through a thankfully short set low on highlights. They are a very competant band and not short on confidence, but only 'I'm Gonna Get You Back Baby' stood out, its a good song. If your a student type and like the VU and JAMC then you'll love them but I'm not, I don't, so I didn't! Oddly enough though I personally wasn't into them they weren't out of place at this gig. They're just not for me. As part of the unholy trinity of revered pre punk bands with the Dolls and the Stooges, the MC5's place in musical history is assured. They must have been an awesome live spectacle in their day, a whirlwind of onstage activity. And with Rob Tyners eyecatching massive afro hairdo and that attitude which pissed off the establishment enough to be investigated by the FBI/CIA. Always politically aware and never afraid to give an opinion. The MC5 proclaimed their support for the White Panther party. They slightly fucked up their reputation with an unfortunate photo spread in a hippy underground mag where they were featured in print having a band meeting with a groupie, if you know what I mean? 2006 and Rob Tyner and Fred 'Sonic' Smith are no longer with us and Wayne Kramer, Michael Davis and Dennis 'Machine Gun' Thompson obviously are and look older but they sure know how to put on a show. This was one of my gigs of the year, they were fantastic and much better than I expected. The three core MC5 members were accompanied by Lisa Kekaula (Bell Rays) who is one of the best live vocalists I have ever seen perform. Alongside the manic Mark Arm (Mudhoney) who has mad eyes and throws himself about without care for his own well being and perfect credentials for a frontman. Adam Pearson (Sisters of Mercy) looked cool playing a white and gold Gibson firebird guitar and did a fine job sharing the lead vocals. The whole band were fantastic! There was local press reports that Handsome Dick Manitoba (Dictators) was to be one of the lead vocalists also, which proved to be just speculation.The set was packed with highlights, take your pick from the setlist below. Not a duff song all night and the bands enthusiasm never flagged. Wayne Kramer spun around firing off solos, while Adam Pearson leaned back on the floor taking his turn in the spotlight. I doubt Wayne would have been able to get back up again these days if he tried this guitar hero manouvre. The band seemed genuinely pleased to be playing in Belfast at last. They had even taken in a tour of the cities hotspots during the day. We were delighted to see them and I think they will return sooner rather than later. The MC5 finished with an anti war speech explaining that the last song of the night was written about Vietnam but now applies to Iraq, before they tore into a blistering version of 'Americam Ruse' before leaving the stage with the audience wanting more. This year has been great for gigs with crackers from the New York Dolls, The Cult, and the MC5 amongst others. Now its up to local punk heroes $hame Academy to round the year off in fine style with a big bang on Friday 22nd December at the Pavillion. Joe Donnelly (Belfast) 17th December 2006. |
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