aaamusic | On 17, Nov 2010

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London, 9th November

It seems somewhat inevitable that JD Samson fronted MEN will be compared to Le Tigre, at least during the build up to the release of their debut album in February. To focus entirely on similarities is redundant, ignoring the contributions of Michael O’Neill and Ginger Brooks Takashi as well as stylistic differences between the two groups.

That being said, it’s obvious that the political fervour, humour and energy that made Le Tigre great lives on in MEN. Songs like Boom Boom Boom and Credit Card Babies somehow work both as political statements and great dance tracks – a fact only made clearer live.

If you’re going to touch upon issues like gay marriage, war and parenthood in music, it has to be done without seeming heavy handed, a feat MEN are more than capable of. Electronic and disco music is almost always written off as apolitical – MEN are here to reclaim it.

Author & Photos: Katharine Sparks