Formed by original band member Wayne Kramer as a way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of MC5’s classic Kick Out The Jams LP, MC50 more than fulfilled that remit with an all-star ensemble. Following on from the 2024 critically-acclaimed album Heavy Lifting, 10 More continues the band’s rich legacy by presenting 10 classic tunes associated with one of rock’s most incendiary bands (including a cover of Ray Charles’ ‘I Believe To My Soul’) to perfectly illustrate why MC5 remain an influence to many a band, both young and old.

Of all the bands who came to prominence during the 1960’s counter-cultural revolution, MC5 were undoubtedly the most “real”, and it is precisely because of this that they aren’t celebrated in the same way as, say, the Beatles and Stones. Their refusal to play by the rules meant that they would always be outside looking in, and while The Stones have now become part of the very establishment they railed against, the legacy of MC5 still has a revolutionary edge (you won’t find ‘Kick Out The Jams’ on those 1960’s compilation albums). In short, the MC5 lived their politics (they were members of the White Panther Party, after all) whereas bands such as the Beatles seemed to be role playing. It was an authenticity that seeped through every note they played, and no more so than in the live environment where their shows became the perfect frame for their revolutionary zest (if you need proof, check out their debut long player, Kick Out The Jams) and that’s exactly the aesthetic that 10 More captures. It’s the sharing of ideas that encapsulates a good live show, and each of the ten tracks presented here is a milk bottle filled with petrol and plugged with a piece of rag, just waiting for the crowd to light the taper.

Recorded during the 2018 anniversary tour in Seattle and Hamburg, MC50 featured only Wayne Kramer from the original line-up (sadly, Wayne died in February 2024 with drummer Dennis Thompson passing away a few months later, leaving no survivors from the classic line-up). The more unkind might complain that this made the MC50 a glorified tribute band, yet it’s true of any music, be it rock ‘n’ roll or classical, that if music is not performed live it will die out, and the energy with which MC50 inject opening track ‘Call Me Animal’ ensures that these songs have an eternal quality and will stick around for a long time. In fact, it is the energy with which songs such as ‘Teenage Lust’ and ‘High School’ are played with such vim and vigour as they were when originally unleashed 50 years previously.

A 10-track live CD was issued as a bonus disc with MC5’s 2024 studio album, Heavy Lifting, hence the title of this offering. 10 More makes a fine companion piece to that album, but also stands on it’s own two feet as a fine live album. MC5 walked it like they talked it, and here’s the living proof.

• 10 More is released via earMUSIC on 5th December 2025.

Track List:

1. Call Me Animal
2. I Believe To My Soul
3. Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa-Fa-Fa)
4. The American Ruse
5. Skunk
6. Teenage Lust
7. Looking At You
8. High School
9. Baby Won’t Ya
10. Starship