On Oni Pond was one of my favorite albums of 2013 and I've been following Man Man frontrunners Honus Honus and Pow Pow on Instagram for the last few months, so I've been anticipating Monday night's show at the High Noon Saloon for a long while.
Every Man Man concert is different, but there are a few things you can expect: the music will be loud, the energy will be high, and some audience members will likely be covered in face paint. Decked out in head-to-toe skeletal body suits, Man Man brought an eclectic, high energy set list that was filled with crowd pleasers and some of my all-time favorite MM songs.
They played the bulk of On Oni Pond, which I expected, but also a handful of tracks from all four of their previous albums. They started off with the satirical Wolf Blitzer ode “End Boss,” followed by Rabbit Habit's rocking “Top Drawer,” before going into “Zebra” from their 2004 freshman release The Man ina Blue Turban with a Face.
An experimental rock band out of Philly, most of Man Man's music is a little off the beaten path. I appreciated the show's variety, going from the hectic and fast paced “Push the Eagle's Stomach” to the singable ballad-esque “Doo Right.” To my surprise and extreme joy, MM played a four song encore, including “Bangkok Necktie,” “Sparks,” “Engwish Bwudd,” and ending with “Werewolf (On The Hood of Yer Heartbreak). The encore alone was a proper mini-concert of great tracks.
I had so much fun at this show and think this was the best I have seen Man Man perform. If you want a taste of what a MM show looks like, you can check out their music video of On Oni Pond track “Loot My Body.”
“Loot My Body” music video
