Live Reviews

Live Review: MEN at Cargo on 12 Apr

By | Published on Friday 16 April 2010

MEN

It was unsurprising that JD Samson’s MEN – who consider themselves a live experience rather than a recording band – packed out a tiny little venue like Cargo in Shoreditch, and it was unsurprising further that, despite the sardine-can nature of the night, everyone arrived and left happy as bloody Larry. The Brooklyn-based electro-pop collective do indeed have the power to excite and enthral in even the most cramped conditions.

MEN have been around for longer than you might think – three years, actually, but over the span of those thirty-six months, have never actually released a full-length LP. Which is a hell of a shame, really, as the strength of their material – kind of a (decent) New Young Pony Club meets Tetine meets CSS meets HeartsRevolution – more than warrants it.

By stomping out what have become much sought after classics due to their rare-to-stumble-across-in-HMV nature – like the fantastic ‘Simultaneously’, ‘Make It Reverse’ and my personal favourite ‘Credit Card Babie$’ – as well as offering a slice of performance art from Emily Roysdon, the band certainly know how to appease their hardcore fans (who are, might I add, absolutely bananas for this band – and I don’t blame them), while hopefully garnering some new followers.

A Joan Armadtrading cover was the perfect end to a stellar performance, and I already have my sights on catching this band live again, if only to savour the music that I haven’t yet been able to own physically – which is distinctly more of a treat than a hindrance. TW

Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon



READ MORE ABOUT: |