Menswe@r - Brit-Pop that is now cult hits Camden Rocks!

***1/3

Brit-Pop is back... will it be bigger than the first time round?

Camden Rocks

Menswe@r ***1/3 might look a little different these days, and some of their fans might be a little bigger... "Can we move the crowd round, the people to the side of me are better lookin' than the people in front of me!" - Johnny Dean. The singer Johnny is as cool as James Dean and the sophistication of the swarve is most definitely in the air tonight. The whole beauty about this band is that they are arrogant and really do not care what they are saying and who they offend. It is just their thing and I really love them for it and look forward to what insults might come yet.

I think The Cuban in Camden is a very strange venue for the band to play, but this is a special 20th anniversary show for the album 'Nuisance'. This was the bands big triumph and near enough everyone in England and Scotland seems to own a copy of. This album produced so many great singles including 'Being Brave, Stardust, Daydreamer' and 'I'll manage Somehow', so this is the album to buy if your not too familiar with this band. They open the set with the opening track off this record '123 west 3rd Street', a song that got the album and tonights set going really well from the start.

'I'll manage Somehow' goes down really well, even though it's not one of my favourites of the singles that came off this album. This is the first hit in the set and first moment you realise why this was a band that was so popular and important to the Brit-Pop genre, and the fact why the UK chose them to fly the flag for the British music scene abroad. Menswe@r where an extremely popular band in Japan, where they were treated like Gods. You can still get some great Japanese import CD's from Menswe@r if you look hard enough, I know I have a few.

Over looked 2014 comeback single 'Crash '14', really stands out in the bands set and you wonder why it wasn't bigger. Also... I am one of the people that actually loved the bands second album 'Hay Tiempo!' and wonder why it didn't get the respect it was due in the UK. Also non album singles like 'We love You' get strangely over looked, when people talk about the band. Going on to popular 'Sleeping In', a song that backed up the singles 'Stardust' and 'Daydreamer' really well. This is a really well fun track and the banter in between songs just get's better and better with him even singing some of the vocal lines to various songs through his iPhone. 'Hollywood Girl' is more fun than ever before, this great album track was always made for the live stage... so is no surprise that it comes across so well at The Cuban.

One of the songs you might remember seeing on Top of the Pops is the slow and heart felt 'Being Brave', which is something the band is doing when deciding to come back not using all the original members. But I do think it was a decision well made, because the demand for them is really huge. People are starting to realise that a lot of the new bands do not come up to the standards of a lot of the Brit-Pop era bands and they just want to recreate it... here and now. 'Pinpoint Eyes' is just bouncy and fun and a little ridiculous at the same time, but that's why we liked it in the first place.

'Nuisance' hidden track 'Bones and red Meat' is rare delight, but strangely the major highlight in the bands set tonight is their cover of the Garbage hit 'Stupid Girl', in a way I like this more than the original. It has been given new life by Menswe@r while keeping to the original tempo without destroying it. I think this is one of the best cover versions I have heard, so well done to the guys for getting it completely right. Punky and catchy 'Daydreamer', which seems to go off like a rocket. Fast and to perfection and the song the band will be remembered forever for.

If you have not decided to bring out your copy of 'Nuisance' for a replaying then tracks like 'The One', really make you want to do that again because it's a track that might have gone out of your memory a little but still is equally as good as the rest. They finish in style with the single 'Stardust', which everyone sings all the catchy bits, this is one of the best Punk / Indie songs of the 90's and makes you know that Menswe@r in 2015 are still stars. This was a good steady set by a band that is finding their feet again, I would love to see them live again and I have a good chance to because they are doing another 20th anniversary show for the album 'Nuisance' at the London, Garage on October 10th and hopefully their will be a new album soon. I really hope that Menswe@r are back to stay.

Review and Photo's by Dan Devour

Check Out! the Video for 'Stardust' Below...