DKT/MC5 at The Studio, Wednesday

By GRAHAM REID

Well, we knew they couldn't be like they once were. That "once were" was more than 30 years ago. But we had every right to expect them to be a little better - no, a lot better - than this.

The three remaining members of Detroit band the MC5, plus a revolving door of guests-cum-fans, have been touring a lot lately, but on Wednesday there was the clear sense they were feeling a little puffed out. This smacked of the last weary gig on a long haul, and time for a lie down - which guest Evan Dando, looking unwound, seemed in danger of doing right then.

Disappointing? You can believe it.

The band seemed to be operating on half-volume - remember the old saying, "Turn it up, I can still hear the words"? - and even when guitarist Wayne Kramer unleashed his blowtorch staccato r'n'b solos you yearned for it to reach the pain threshold. It fell far short.

Even with the distraction of a horn trio who seemed to have wandered in from a Ricky Martin gig - all bouncy and funky dancin' when the music was flatout pop-rock - the MC5 struggled to keep attention.

I haven't seen a "You are what you eat" T-shirt in a couple of decades but it has to be said that bassist Michael Davis, who was wearing one, looked a poor advertisement for whatever dietary regime he has been on. And I suppose that was guest vocalist Mark Arm from Mudhoney (introductions and stage banter were non-existent in the short time we stayed), but if so he was hugely underwhelming and woefully lacking in vocal power.

From the opening with Kramer on Ramblin' Rose through unaffecting treatments of Call Me Animal and Shakin' Street (Dando barely managing to stay in tune on a leaden version of a song that should have had the pop-firepower of the Ramones) this was unfortunate all round.

Maybe it all got better, maybe someone turned the sound up and poured reviving medicine into Dando, maybe there was a fight or someone fell off the stage, I dunno.

When, a weary half-hour in, they hit High School with the line "the kids just wanna rock" I agreed, but would add so do older folk in the MC5 demographic. And it wasn't happening here.

Oh, some will say it is all different now, that this mature stuff was somehow better than all that adolescent passion of three decades ago, that it was great to see them here and didn't Dando look kinda funny and out of it.

I don't know and I don't care. Rock'n'roll is about your right to say, "No!" So we hit the street and got a cab home. It'll be a while before I drag out my battered copy of Kick Out The Jams again.