This was a hotly anticipated show - on top of the demand for two hotly tipped support bands in the form of Broken Arm and Hookworms, the crowd swelled to fill out the venue by the time The Men took to the floor. It’s always a joy to see a band up close and personal here rather than elevated on the stage, and especially so with a band as blisteringly noisy as this. With a simple announcement, “Hi, we’re The Men,” they kick off into a repetitive groove which straight away shows why they’ve garnered comparisons to The Stooges, pounding, visceral and distorted.
The other main association bandied around about the new record has been Spacemen 3, and most of the songs tonight are bridged together with delightful squalls of feedback and droning noise only pausing briefly and occasionally to retune. The set was mainly a mixture of the new record and several brand new songs that continue the theme of riff repetition, the two guitars and bass often in unison. Squealing solos that possibly owe something to Dinosaur Jr are just as fulfilling as moments filled with drums and naked feedback. Frequently the drums drop out with the pace supplied by frantic strumming of bass and guitars.
The Men are clearly adept at creating huge energy-fuelled monsters of songs, and yet it was disappointing not to see the crowd interacting more. Maybe it’s a little early in the week for anything more than appreciative nodding, but it seems a shame that the raw energy being supplied is not fully grounding itself into the crowd. For a band so raucously noisy, The Men are a little reserved themselves, somewhat stoic on stage and while they throw out songs amphetamine fast and primally slow, I can’t help but picture this taking place in some small sweat-dripping basement with both band and crowd letting themselves be taken over by the high voltages issued from the stage.
The set continues to build in intensity, both guitarists sharing vocal duties and frequently sharing guitar solos, sometimes abstract, at all times possessed of a feral energy that is no mean feat to capture. The set ends with a mighty squall of feedback and a modest thanks to the crowd, and it’s clear from the grins garnishing peoples faces as they filter outside that, while perhaps somewhat stoic in their appreciation, there was definitely a connection made.