Neu Ménage à Trois

Name

: Menage A Trois
Based: Manchester
Listen: menage-a-trois.bandcamp.com
Similar to: How to Dress Well

Sometimes a little pretence works wonders. Ménage à Trois call themselves the ‘Three Shemale Sistas’, or when they’re bored of that title, the ‘Bogans of Death’. They both sound like scenes in an art school student’s interpretative ‘poetry-play’, usually hosted in grimly-attired, expensive London flats. But the music that’s lurking within this sideshow makes you think the Manchester trio are onto something; a higher calling that represents more than mere dodgy pseudonyms.

They’ve links to WU LYF and in turn Los Porcos, a member from the latter having designed the artwork for their debut ‘Islands in the Stream’ cassette. And yes, that is a Bee Gees cover that forms the title track. But it’s an oddly romantic, fascinating rendition. It’s holiday escapism with all the blue sea, getaway vibes and minus the dull cliches. And sweltering underneath all the above is some genuine soul, one that rubs up against the Alt-R&B boundary but gets away with its sheer cheek. Everything’s about taking risks when it comes to Ménage à Trois, but they more than pull off each and every one of them.