MS MR headlined a packed Santos Party House on Wednesday with support from punk rockers Beast Make Bomb.

Brooklyn’s Beast Make Bomb backed up some catchy tunes with undeniable stage presence. Lead singer Ceci G radiated swagger as she led the four-piece band through a fast, loud, and downright fun set. The highlight of BMB’s performance was a song that sounded like the punk rock cousin of “Kashmir.”

MS Mr’s sound was an entirely different animal, but the four-piece band was just as entertaining as it’s opener. All of the focus was on the gorgeous vocals of their lead singer, the eponymous MS. Her powerful voice combined with the indie-pop sensibilities of her band resulted in what I imagine Adele would sound like on Matador Records. MS MR ended its set with the buzzy single “Hurricane,” which received the biggest reaction from the crowd.

Beast Make Bomb will play NYC again on July 13th at the Bushwick Walkabout Fest and on July 30th at the Studio at Webster Hall. MS MR won’t be back until August when they play with Marina & the Diamonds on the 16th and 18th. - Joshua S. Johnson.

After months of ambiguity, MS MR have finally begun playing live, giving only a slight glimpse into the world of the mysterious duo. Comprised of a woman and man (the MS half may or may not be named Liz), MS MR has released a demo album and a single with accompanying music videos, but that’s about it. Following the example of another rather successful NYC boy/girls duo, Cults, they don’t divulge their identities, they don’t show their faces on press photos, and they certainly don’t grant interview (at least for now). But, really… do we care about all this stuff? No we don’t, all we care about is their music, and the single “Hurricane” has a lot of things to say: a tremendously enjoyable blue soul-pop gem, the song is built around MS’ beautiful melody - the lady has a voice to kill for, with a peculiar mixture of sweetness and severity. In the background, a light and ambient trip-hoppy electronic arrangement work some magic against pounding mid tempo electronic drums. The band is also likely to be originally from the UK, which is possibly where their dream and drone sound originates. They may not be eager to expose their inner workings, but MS MR do have a musical focus to back their secretive attitude. See them at Santos Party House tomorrow June 27 before they leave for a July west coast tour. – Devon Antonetti

We blogged about MS MR a couple of weeks ago and we hear they have now released the video for the new single "Hurricane" - a very DIY, cut and paste thing. The song is a stunning take on the neo-soul path inaugurated by other NYC based artists like Santigold, Body Language and Ava Luna, and more recently also Friends and The Stepkids. This is a project with big potential.

Ms Mr is a NYC based duo that plays moody and rather sensual electro pop, with an interestingly dark soul component, and a female lead singer with a voice to kill for - by the way, we'll have to write a feature about the resurgence of soul in NYC... Although the band is very new (so new that we can't find images of them - ah, these clever promotion tactics!), they seem to have everything in place to build some serious promotion in the upcoming months. They already have a summer tour booked opening for Marina and the Diamonds, plus 3 east coast shows in August - one of them at Webster Hall. This song streaming here called "Bones" is very intriguing, and we heard some unreleased material which sounded even more promising. You may want to keep an eye and a couple of ears on these guys.