words & photos by James Alvarez

Mutoid Man brought their high octane rock’n’roll hysterics to Los Angeles last week, touring in support of their stellar new album, Bleeder. The weeknight tour date did nothing to squash the crowd inside The Echo’s enthusiasm, as the Converge/Cave In supergroup played to a packed and sweaty room. Stephen Brodsky’s trademark croon, Ben Koller’s inhuman time keeping, and Nick Cageao ‘s low end rumbling kept heads bobbing, while the group’s hilarious onstage antics had everyone inside howling. Crowd surfing blow-up dolls and instrument swaps were just some of the lunacy Mutoid Man unleashed at The Echo. I think I saw Ben Koller kicking his hi-hat cymbals at one point. The band ended their set by performing their new album’s epic title track for the first time…ever, with assistance from their tour mate and mighty screamer, He Whose Ox Is Gored’s Lisa Mungo. It’s always a wild mix of riffs and lolz when Mutoid Man roll through town.

See all photos on New Noise and check out a selection of live photos from their US Bleeder tour on the Mutoid Man site