Male Bonding w/ Pens, Sound Control, Manchester

With diversification in full swing during the recession, you’re likely to find every venue of any sort offering the full array of services. Pubs have long been serving food, and Churches have been hiring themselves out for decades, but the World Cup has seen everyone well and truly sell out, with any place with a television offering the chance to watch every game live. Whilst not airing Slovenia versus Algeria to two bored punters, a lot of places are also offering themselves as gig venues, aware of the beer thirsty masses that they’re likely to bring.

So whilst Churches sell their souls for the chance to sell overpriced Carling to Britpop revivalists and Local pubs offend the locals by putting on terrible unsigned bands merely for the friends they’re likely to bring, one of the tragedies has been the loss of Manchester’s Sound Control. Formerly one of the city’s great retailers of musical equipment, tough times have seen it changed entirely into a venue, and has proceeded in booking some of the most exciting acts from around the globe. Having already had Dum Dum Girls and Mi Ami christen it’s upstairs loft, Male Bonding are certainly in good company having played there.

The promoters certainly know how to put on a full show as well, with a strong line-up throughout. Milk Maid and Young British Artists represent two of the most important up and coming bands from the city, unfortunately having to open up the gig to only a handful of people. As ever though, they’re loud and energetic on stage, but the perils of playing in a converted loft with a tin roof take their toll as both struggle with the acoustics of the fledgling venue. Main support Pens are the worst affected though, with their noise rock almost entirely being lost through the reverberations.

A couple of months ago, Male Bonding were playing a basement less than a mile away. Since then, they’ve signed to the world’s most influential independent label in Sub Pop and had their debut album put out to acclaim. On stage, they’re still the lively trio that they’ve always been, and storm through a set that just about manages to get past the Sound Control’s own deficiencies. Though the room is far from it’s 450 capacity, the fuzzy, fast paced garage rock that the band have become renowned for manages to get the crowd moving. More than anything, the performance underlines the importance of getting a skilled drummer to back any band. The proliferation of lo-fi has seen many new acts take a lax attitude to percussion, but there’s no real substitute for the driving rhythm that Robin Christian provides for the Male Bonding.

On stage, it’s easy to see why the band has so quickly risen from the London DIY scene to international touring artists. However, though the undoubted quality of tracks like ‘Year’s Not Long’ are played, it’s a battle to recognise or appreciate them. It’s clear, however, that Male Bonding have found their feet, looking assured and joyous throughout. It’s likely that this is going to only be one in a series of headline slots in the city, and the numbers should only swell as word gets around of their brilliance. If Sound Control wants to still be around by the time the band retire to their country manors, it’s got a lot of teething problems to work through.