Man. Where do you even begin with these guys?
Fun.
Energetic.
Ridiculous.
Crazy.
Hilarious.
Grammatically Incorrect.
If you didn’t have a smile on your face during this entire gig, then you really must have been having a pretty awful day. Its gigs like this that remind me how much fun live music can be when the people who are performing are either bordering on insane or having a blast pretending to be.
In this case, think of a far more subdued version of Tim Harrington of Les Savy Fav. Instead of stealing everyone’s hats and running out onto the street in his underwear (oh what a gig!), lead singer and keyboard player-extraordinaire Honus Honus of Man Man hits you in the head with coins, spoons, tambourines and sprays you with water. Wait, that sounds far more abusive that it should.
Oh good times!
But, before I get into the nitty gritty of the Philadelphian five-piece beast that is MAN MAN, let’s retrace our steps a bit. Starting off the night at a way-too-empty Oxford Art Factory were The fabulous John Steel Singers from Brisbane. I believe this is the first time I’ve seen the trio times two, and I must say I was immediately impressed. They sounded like the happiness of a commercial pop summertime mixed with the lo-fi destruction of a band like Frog Eyes. I don’t believe this makes any sense, but just nod your head and be sure to check them out at Laneway this February!
Now, back to the main event.
The 70-minute-or-so set was mainly focused on their latest LP, Rabbit Habits, which, at the time of writing, remains the only LP (of three) to receive local release, and thus the only one I’m personally familiar (and deeply in love) with. But old favourites like “Van Helsing Boombox” from 2006’s Six Demon Bag, which personally introduced me to these fantastic men, made surprise appearances as well; with “Van Helsing” in particular easily a highlight of the night. Also of note was “The Ballad of Butter Beans,” one of many songs off the new album which translated terrifically (and surprisingly) well live. And despite a lack of audience interaction of the “chit-chat” kind, they certainly made up for it with hi-jinks and physical abuse.
If you were a fan of the band, disappointment would not be a word to even remotely describe this gig. Personally, I couldn’t stop laughing and the smile simply never left. And if you weren’t a fan of the band, just a “curious onlooker” then I’m pretty sure you’d be checking out their albums as we speak… because you sure as hell couldn’t understand much of what they were singing if you didn’t know the music. This is, as their wikipedia page points out, “Viking-vaudeville, Manic Gypsy Jazz” after all.
After several weeks of pretty average gigs, it was fantastic not only to not be disappointed – but hear all the songs I wanted to, and have a blast in the process.
Quite possibly the gig of the year.
Thank you Man Man. Thank you.
