ELECTRIC SIX - SHOW REVIEW

ELECTRIC SIX
wsgs MIDWEST PRODUCT, BACK IN SPADES
MAJESTIC THEATRE, DETROIT
APRIL 16, 2004

And he’s a government man, A GOVERNMENT MAN! Jam-packed is the only way to describe the Electric Six show at the Majestic Theatre on Friday night. Standing amidst hundreds of kids desperately attempting to continually inch closer to the stage and eagerly awaiting Dick the Dictator, the excitement was tangible. Well, if not tangible, at least audible, with the all ages crowd yelling out their favorite line of E6 poetry like “You must obey the dance commander” and “Stop… CONTINUE!” Of course, it may have been the visual aspect that really sealed the deal. You have to appreciate the “Fire in the taco bell” home-crafted tee (we saw you at the MSU show too by-the-way). Sure, that was good, but the fashion prize goes to the group who jumped a 1970’s Detroit pimp and made off with his wardrobe of extra-wide-collar white polyester suits and oversized faux-gold jewelry.

It can’t be terribly easy to live up to the thoroughly outrageous persona of Electric Six, but with Dick Valentine’s infectious disco-rock sensibility and Zack Shipps’ guitar hero stylistics, the crowd didn’t appear to be disappointed. There have certainly been some trying times since the E6’s rise to international stardom. Only a few weeks after the release of Fire, the band bitterly split and a few new players were brought aboard. Despite the incredible success of the album, their UK-based label dropped them from the roster. It seems that these things have taxed their momentum in some aspects. Showing that they’re pushing forward, they mixed in some new material with the now classic kitschy hits. Greg Baise of the Majestic Theatre pointed out that it was a pretty cool night for the legendary Woodward rock complex since Detroit bands continually frequent the Magic Stick stage, but have never before headlined the Majestic.

Back in Spades turned on the heat by starting off the evening with smoking guitar rock. Bringing the jams with passion, intensity and an incredibly tight sound, the crowd was quickly made aware of the hottest band in Detroit since the MC5. Thus far, they’ve played mostly smaller venues, so it was great to see them in a larger space. Granted, the roof still didn’t have a fighting chance against the sheer volume and amazing guitar licks. They debuted four new, solid songs. Two are yet untitled and the others are “I'm Not Fighting Anymore” and “Ain’t No Heart”. They also debuted a talented new bass player, Nick Bataran.

Following Back in Spades could be about

the toughest task conceivable. The evening certainly would have had a better flow if Midwest Product had been put on first, but nonetheless, they put on a stellar set of techno beats layered on a bed of lush, digital sound waves. Seeing them live helps answer the question that always arises when listening to their records: “Wow, that’s cool, how the hell did they do that?” Well, it helps somewhat anyway. -- Ryan N. Sult

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Christopher Chouinard & Ron Smerigan for contributing photos.