Shockwaves NME Awards Show: MEN, Teeth, Sleigh Bells

Feb 14th @ HEAVEN
London

by Joanna Orland

You may recognize MEN’s lead singer JD Samson from the band Le Tigre, but she is certainly carving out her own legacy with the Brooklyn-based band MEN. They are more than a band, but an art collective also featuring Michael O’Neill and Ginger Brooks (who sadly hasn’t joined them on this tour). Their debut album Talk About Body is out in the UK right now, with their new single Who Am I out as well. You can read more about MEN in our interview with JD and Michael, which will be online imminently. Now’s the time to discuss their awesome live set!

The band’s live show is highly energetic, totally danceable and just a whole lotta fun! Their set of songs is solid, each song as catchy as the next. The band’s visuals are great too – MEN see their music as merely another form of artistic expression and their visuals are not at all mutually exclusive to the music. Unfortunately for them, bandmate Michael lost his costume when they were in Holland (ahem!)…. but with the creative and innovative talents of JD Samson, they managed to paint him a new one day of show! Sweet!

The band stole the show for me with the fun fun fun they were having on stage! It was obvious! They had us all dancing. Sadly, I can’t say the same for the following band Teeth. I wouldn’t even call that music really. There was one “song” that was about “bears” that had nothing to do with bears, that could almost constitute as a song, but that’s still a far stretch. Negative vibes from this one.

Then Sleigh Bells hit the stage. I am in two minds about Sleigh Bells. The first two times I heard the album I couldn’t deal with the noise factor. Yes. I am officially a GRANNY! But for some reason I gave it a third try and found that I really liked it! Maybe I need to see them live 3 times as well! ? Anyway, it was LOUD! Very very LOUD!

In conclusion: MEN rocked and I’m old.