Viking vaudeville! Manic Gypsy Jazz! However you describe them, the Man Man troupe swing into town this December for their frenzied debut tour.

From the wilds of Philadelphia, Man Man bring their exuberant live show to town for the very first time. Promising five men, many instruments, lots of face paint and a little bit of Honky Tonk’.

With comparisons to the usual avant-garde forefathers Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits – Man Man are torchbearers of the unusual, the spontaneous and the plainly funny. Centred on leadman, Honus Honus’ piano, the Man Men pick up and discard various instruments depending on where their mood takes them, including a clavinet, microKORG, sousaphone, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, flute, drum set, euphonium, Fender jazz bass, Danelectro guitar, xylophone, marimba, melodica and various percussive instruments including pots and pans and toy noise makers and horns. As Honus recently told FasterLouder ‘‘If a dog barking in a song has more precedence than the same guitar solo you’ve heard before, then there should be a dog barking in the song.’

They’re playing this Thursday at the East Brunswick Club and FasterLouder has a handful of double passes to give away. Just send an email to melbourne@staff.fasterlouder.com.au under the heading ‘Man Man’ with your name and a link to your FL profile to be in the running.

If you’re not a FL member – why the hell not? – Fix yourself up HERE