Jimmy Christmas of D4 performing at the Bowery Ballroom, New York City, April 7, 2003. Photo by Glyn Emmerson © 2003 NY Rock.

So D4 are just another energetic garage-y rock-n-roll band. Is that such a bad thing? No, of course not. We love that frenetic shit. But it's no longer fresh, and let's face it, that's what cool kids want as evident at the D4's show at the Bowery Ballroom. Detroit's ultra-fun-nuevo-rock-n-roll-disco-ballers Electric Six opened for the D4 and by the time D4 got to the stage, almost half the crowd had left. Had the line-up been reversed, this embarrassing moment may have been avoided.

Those who showed up with the intention of seeing the D4 moved to the front of the floor, dutifully shook their asses, and went along for the ride. The band opened with the single from their album 6Twenty, "Get Loose," and singer/guitarist/main-mutton-chop Jimmy Christmas produced more sweat in five minutes than most basketball players do in an entire quarter. Fellow singer/guitarist Dion struck his guitar with crisp severity and screamed like a woman giving birth to triplets. During "Come On!" and "Running on Empty," his moves went from stiff and pompous to stiff and alarming, mimicking rigormortis. The word "spastic" is scribbled throughout my note pad. Vaughn, the lanky bass player, was chill in comparison, grooving in his own time, and stayed remarkably sweat-free. The drummer, Beaver, tossed a maraca out to a fan in the crowd who gleefully shook along like this show was a rock-n-roll luau. The D4 gave the crowd 100 percent, but the night belonged to the Electric Six.

Dick Valentine of Electric Six performing at the Bowery Ballroom, New York City, April 7, 2003. Photo by Glyn Emmerson © 2003 NY Rock.

Aside from being the stars of the show, the Electric Six have the front man with the most pimp-a-delic name in rock: Dick Valentine. Someone oughta knight his parents. This band is loaded with characters. And I mean that almost literally. The synth player Tait Nucleus looks like Sideshow Bob, and guitarist Surge Joebot is a dead ringer (from afar, anyway) for Paul Schafer. Valentine's appearance and mannerisms were Jim Carrey as Andy Kaufman. The rest of the crew – M (drums), Rock 'n' Roll Indian (guitar), and Disco (bass) – look like human Muppets.

With the majority of the members in sport coats, the Electric Six worked the room like they owned this town. "Gay Bar," "Remote Control Me," a cover of Queen's "Radio Ga Ga," and a cover of Roxy Music's "The Street Life" turned the Bowery Ballroom into the best dance club this city doesn't have. Valentine's vocals were boisterous and haughty, and, uh, a bit like John Fogerty when the latter sang "Up Around the Bend." With his hand in the air like an almighty preacher, he squealed some high notes, doffed his button down to reveal a T-shirt with the words SEXY AND RICH in black block letters, and retained a rather stately composure during the band's hit "Danger! High Voltage." At times, Valentine would walk in front of the mic stand and stare goofily into the distance like a fixated (and mildly retarded) child. "We like to come to New York and get progressively hammered," explained Valentine, "so this is a good night for us." Us, too.