Man Man Turn the Energy Up [Show Review]
As anyone at last Thursday's Man Man show will agree, the band put on one hell of a live show - arguably one of the best around. In t-shirts with “roadie” written across their back, the five-piece and friends transformed the outside stage at Emo’s into a mystical junkyard/art instillation with lights, a small television showing a man with a bloody nose, the front of a bicycle attached to a pole and, of course, various scattered instruments all centered around two keyboards and a drum kit.
Moments later Man Man returned to the stage and manned-up at their respective stations adorned in their trademark war paint (which many fans wore as well). As front man Honus Honus belted out his bluesy howl and launched into a jangly jam, a mosh pit erupted. Matching and surpassing the crowds enthusiasm, Honus Honus jumped from his keyboard to sing into various microphones (with different effects) then returned to the keys as Sergei Sogay, Critter Crat, and Chang Wang switched off on different instruments and Pow Pow pounded away on the drums. Within a couple of songs fans were crowd surfing and eventually climbing the rafters as Man Man kept the energy sky high with their circus-like showcase. For select parts of their theatrical performance, Honus Honus wore a trench coat while taking to the mic while serenading the crowd, then later put a blue and glittery lace dress and blew red feathers into the mosh pit whirling in front of the stage. And then there was that guy shooting silly string across the stage.
Honus Honus may attract comparisons to Tom Waits in his vocal range and bluesy lyrical content, but Man Man is entirely unique. Their songs demonstrate enormous talent and range, from relentless racket to the smooth jazz sax intro on “10 lb Moustache.” Combined with their animated energy, their allure attracts an array of fans that go coo-coo for their brand of crazy. Throughout their dynamic set Man Man pulled from their three album discography, including “Hurly/Burly,” “Top Drawer,” and “Doo Right" and previewed their forthcoming album, Life Fantastic [pre-order here], that drops this coming week (May 10) with recognizable tracks “Life Fantastic” and “Knuckle Down,” which are both currently streaming on their official website.
