Loud, sweaty, ferocious. Did I mention loud? The Men are from Brooklyn and this was their first show in Australia ahead of their Laneway commitments. A packed Goodgood, revved up after the spirited Royal Headache warmed things up, enjoyed the pure honesty and undeniable spirit of this band of four. If you want energy, passion and power from a gig do not miss The Men. They have the stamp of greatness waiting to to be placed on them.

I took a prime position on the side of the stage and for an hour they did not let up. Flat to the four and all that. They sweated, screamed and pummelled their instruments. No encore. It wasn't really necessary to be honest. They gave their all. The Men have a new album coming out in March and they gave us a preview of that release, playing several songs from the upcoming album. Two were standouts in particular. "Without a Face" and "I Saw Her Face" were quite complex and elaborate songs that augur well for the new record. Naturally they played a good chunk from 2012's excellent "Open Your Heart". I was really hoping for "Country Song" but the band seemed to steer towards the shorter more live friendly songs such as the title track and "Please Don't Go Away", which both went down a treat. If I could have a criticism of the gig it would be the very nature of it. Loud, ferocious rock can sometimes be a bit overwhelming at times. The songs can tend to blur into one another and you sometimes yearn for a bit of light amongst the dark. But I guess that is the beast in question. And it's a pretty ferocious one that's for sure.

Set List
Electric
Turn It Around
Without a Face
Candy
I Saw Her Face
Different Days
Freaky
Night Landing
Open Your Heart
Please Don't Go Away/Oscillation
( )
Bataille

*Please note there were many new songs on the set list, so this might not be totally accurate.
Any help is appreciated.