I'm always up for going to a show, regardless of how well I know the band. In fact, I've found that I'll enjoy a show even more when I know nothing about the act. No expectations are good expectations, I suppose. With this thought in mind, I agreed to accompany my good pal Dave to the Trocadero last Friday to see Man Man, a band I was pretty unfamiliar with. I had only heard a few tracks by them before seeing them, and those were heard two or three years ago. I was able to recall a certain Tom Waits goofiness to their sound, and looked forward to seeing them live. This show in particular was going to be REALLY awesome, because they're a Philly band and it sold out and they haven't toured in a long time.It wasn't that awesome, in my humble opinion. Man Man just didn't do it for me. Their musicianship WAS tremendous, with each member playing multiple instruments with much virtuosity, and their stage antics were entertaining. I just found their sound to be, well, not good. Each track seemed to take the same route: The drummer would start a very fast, pulsating drum beat, and the rest of the band would play along, creating a throbbing headache of sound. The crowd was an unusual mix of stylish hipsters, hoodied suburbanites, and the ever-present dreadlocked folk. Not to mention the diehard Man Man fans, all of whom were wearing plain white tees with warpaint on their faces. The members of Man Man also had warpaint on their faces. They should call themselves "Brand Brand." All corny jokes aside, it was very strange indeed to see representatives from all of these groups jumping around and pushing one another to this lousy music.
I'm not saying that Man Man are bad. They're just not for yours truly. If you're a fan of more soothing, orchestral sounds, you should probably stay away from this band.
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