Ulrika Spacek, dreamy, alternative and English, opened last week’s show at Kantine am Berghain before Brooklyn-based THE MEN took the stage. Singer-guitarist Rhys Edwards held onto a charmingly shy stage presence in between the alluring visuals and endless layers of sound. Listening to Edwards thank the audience for being there reminded us that we should’ve been thanking them the entire time.
The peak moment from experiencing The Men was watching Mark Perro (vocals, guitar, keys) freak out with a saxophone. Perro held onto the instrument as fierce as he had with everything else he commanded the stage with. The four-piece led the crowd with their set list from a dark venue to an imagined landscape suitable for the West West. The music was relentless, but never uniform. The musicians take influences from country music, classic rock, Americana, doo-wop and surf rock, and it can all be heard in their distinct cocktail of soundwaves.
