CMJ Sub Pop / Hardly Art Showcase: Male Bonding, Mercury Lounge, NY

Finishing up the Sub Pop / Hardly Art Showcase are Male Bonding, and the British punks are in fine form; facing each other as they play, they move adroitly around the stage playing music with plenty of hooks and riffs. It’s only a pity that the audience has thinned so much by the time they come on at 2am.

The band, known for their pop-punk riffs, reminiscent of Blink 182 but a bit more dreamy and British, run through their set with quick rhythms, loud guitar, plenty of vocals and overall aplomb. Like earlier act Golden Triangle, their heavy use of reverb often becomes abrasive during the set, speaking perhaps more to a technical glitch at the Mercury Lounge than anything else. This problem becomes particularly acute with Male Bonding, whose dissonant and very off-key harmonies are often distracting.

Still, the band’s attitude, look and sound create one last thrust of late night energy and their punk chops are clearly well established.