Read previous – MAN ON MAN on Live on KEXP at Home
I’ve stated this previously, but Polyvinyl Records duo MAN ON MAN is one of my favorite new bands/artists to come out of the pandemic. After the release of their fantastic self-titled debut LP earlier this year, they recorded a session for KEXP which got me even more pumped to catch them live. Their current Northeast tour brought them to Philly for the very first time where they played PhilaMOCA with opener Emma Larson on Wednesday, 12/1.
Seeing the sparse stage setup of 2 guitars and a synth, I expected we’d be in for a relatively low-key performance. Those thoughts quickly subsided as the duo opened up with “Stohner“, which was played in its full on glory with the assistance of a drum track doohickey. The duos’ stage chemistry and man-harmonies were on point as they played through a majority of their LP including “Beach House“, “It’s So Fun (To Be Gay)“, and “Two at a Time” (where the crowd sang along the lyrics “we’re still here!”). They also played a banger of a new/unreleased track that I reckon might be called “Gloryhole”; however, I can’t confirm this as a quick google of “man on man gloryhole” resulted in many non-relevant results (UPDATE: the song is indeed called “Gloryhole”, as confirmed via a DM on IG).
The Philly crowd that showed up didn’t let M.O.M. down, as members Joey Holman and Roddy Bottum expressed their heartfelt appreciation. They closed out their set with personal favorite “Daddy”, but the crowd pleaded for 1 more song to which the duo obliged an encore (something they admittedly haven’t done often).
After finishing this brief tour, they’ll be hitting the road again next year. No local shows have been announced yet, but my fingers are crossed for a date in Asbury Park. If you’ve never had the pleasure of watching their music video for “Daddy”, please do yourself a favor and check that out below and then make sure to keep on scrolling to see more photos from the show.
