“We’re from Detroit,” announced MC5’s Wayne Kramer, brandishing a stars-and-stripes guitar. “What you don’t know is that Primal Scream are from Detroit too. From way east of the city.” Almost three hours into a show that began with separate sets from the two bands, the comment from the 60-year-old founder of the garage-rock innovators MC5 was spot-on.

Primal Scream have long acknowledged their musical debt to MC5, but paired at Massive Attack’s Meltdown Festival, the similarity in their sound was extraordinary. Both conjured atmospherics from a wall of fuzzy guitars, while the vocalists battled against a barrage of beats. It was loud at the start, deafening by the finish and celebratory all the way through.

Stuffing their set with songs from the forthcoming album Beautiful Future, Primal Scream revealed a 1970s disco-tinged new direction. Best were the poppy title track, Suicide Bomb, and a slinky, mid-tempo Uptown. Swastika Eyes had its brutal techno edges toned down and Rocks tore the roof off. Yet Primal Scream refused to crack a smile. In black jeans and a spangly shirt, Bobby Gillespie made being in a band look like a taxing day at the office.

MC5 had replaced their missing original members with the afro-haired William Duvall, formerly of Alice In Chains, whose wail was as much nu-metal as grungy garage, and the Sisters of Mercy guitarist Adam Pearson, who couldn’t stop smiling. Of the three old-timers, Kramer has weathered by far the best – he is surprisingly lithe, still an outstanding guitarist and, as he proved in a rant before The American Ruse, as wound up about politics as ever.

MC5’s set took a while to get going – their best-known song, Kick Out the Jams, was way too tame, but with a squally, bluesy Motor City is Burning and an artfully chaotic Sister Ann, they located the passion Primal Scream lacked. It was when both bands took to the stage, though, that the gig became great. The guitarists duelled, the frontmen tried to outhowl each other, a violinist and saxophonist joined the fray and a lengthy finale at last collapsed with a stage invasion. It was fun enough to make even Gillespie grin.

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