"MC 5 to appear in Gladsaxe"

"The biggest bang heard from Detroit called the MC 5 can for the first time be experienced in Denmark tonight where the American group will be playing at the Hoeje Gladsaxe Schools (Hoeje Gladsaxe Torv (square, ed.) 4). Entrance fee is as modest as Kr. 8,- (US$ 1.00, ed.), doors opens at 7 pm.
MC 5 was just a few years ago among the forefront of the most revolutionary groups. Not so much in regard to the music, it was just loud and wild, but in the message that their then manager John Sinclair had provided them with. Sinclair, who since then has spent a considerable amount of time in prison for a marihuana conviction, was leader of the White Panther Party and songs like Kick Out The Jams passed on the messages on to Detroit and whoever cared to listen. The press coverage of the MC 5 was extensive from Newsweek to Time and Rolling Stone but now there has been silent around the group for a long time. They themselves declare that they have begun anew despite everybody says that they are through. Who is proven right can be heard in Gladsaxe tonight."

Review in Danish music magazine "M/M",
December 1972:

"PETER NIELSEN, Gladsaxe beatforum is an active man. Tuesday the 23/11 he got a group to this country, that you otherwise would not have expected to experience.
MC 5, that a few years ago gained attention with the LP "Kick Out The Jams", that offered an unusually hard rockmusic, were suddenly to hear at the Kennedy School in Hoeje Gladsaxe.
MC 5 that for a long time has not had anything to do with the white panthers and JOHN SINCLAIR, but were as such still militant musically.
It was not quite the same crew as then. The lead singer Robert Tyner had quit and Wayne Kramer took care of that part.
MC 5 played several of the old songs - among others "Ramblin' Rose", "Motor City Is Burnin'" and "Kick Out The Jams". Not quite with the old boom, but as a contrast to the support band ALRUNE ROD - to use that comparison again: Like night and day.
This group gave a demonstration in limp and apathetic smallholder's rock. Miserably played and sung. Clumsy and vacuum cleaned for the smallest bit of elasticity.
The 14/12 there is yet a goodie in Gladsaxe Beatforum - Lindisfarne from England. Same place and the entrance - less than ten bucks! JJG" (Jens Jørn Gjedsted, ed.). Photo credits: Captain Click (Peder Bundgaard)

Review in Danish newspaper "Information"
weekend edition 1972/11/25-26:

"MC5-Music for 4 Men"

MC5 in Gladsaxe Beatforum Tuesday.

"We don't play John Lennon songs, we play only MC5-music, said guitarist Wayne Dramer (misspelt, ed.), when one in the audience at Gladsaxe Beatforum Tuesday night wanted him to play a Lennon song. And then the band played on with its MC5-music.
Of the original group only a couple of members were left. John Sinclair has not been a part for many years (because of his marihuana-conviction: possession of one cigarette), the drummer had been taken along from England - and the band's singer Robert Tyner had just announced, that he did not want to be part anymore. So it was only a kind of MC4 one heard -but within the current MC5 repertoire.

What the band no longer contains is that fantastic instant ignition that characterised their live recordings. But that can also have something to do with the atmosphere, that characterises the audience - which expectations vibrating in halls, before it starts. And as the far majority of the audience were very young, it is likely that the name MC5 did not mean anything special to the audience.
Never the less the group succeeded in getting the hall standing up by persistent work. It is still a hard-hitting rock-group, whose blues-themes are knocked out into the concert room with considerable energy. There were both Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry in the program - also John Lee Hooker as far as the old battle song "Motor City is burnin'" was presented as Hooker's. And when they as the last number played a "quiet little evening song", that is "Kick out the jams" (!), there could have been somebody arguing that it had been a bigger boom in the old days. But there were still considerably more vitality to this group than so many others, one are presented to today. And there is still the characteristic "rough" expression about the music - not at least now, with the emphasis so much on the instrumental, the simple repeated blues-figures, the few but effective variations on the themes in the guitar-solos. "Sieg"

Peder Bundgaard's testimony:

Hi Anders

Thank you for your mail.

Regarding the MC5 concert on the 23rd of November 1972. It is 30 years ago and appears a bit dim in my memory. The band played good solid rock'n'roll but without the big wild stage show. Fred 'Sonic' Smith was standing still looking rather concentrated as far as I recall.

Wayne Kramer was more outgoing and was also the one to stand out visually. He was dressed up in a long sleeved T-shirt with stripes vertically along the sleeves and his very broad guitar strap was studded with big shinning metal stars.

As mentioned - great rock music. But it did not reach the sublime heights that can be heard on Kick Out the Jams. Understandable -it was a weakened band that had had more than their share of bitter disappointments.
Anyway, it was in 1972 rare to hear rock of this calibre in Denmark - and it still is.

Best regards
Peder

Sources:

• Letter from Ulf Oestergaard printed in Danish weekly local paper "Bagsvaerd Folkeblad", 1972/11/16.
• Concert calendar in Danish newspaper "Information", 1972/11/20.
• Advance publicity in Danish newspaper "Politiken", 1972/11/23.
• Review in Danish newspaper "Information" weekend edition 1972/11/25-26.
• Review in Danish music magazine "M/M", december 1972.
• Interview with Peter Nielsen on Beat Forum in Danish newspaper "Information" 1974/02/07.
• Testimony from Peder Bundgaard 2001/09.

Talks with:

• Peter Nielsen, Peder bungaard and Lars persson.

Audio:

• LP "Kick Copenhagen", MOW 11.
• Cassette copy of original tape recording different from "Kick Copenhagen" version.

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