Review: Of Monsters and Men

Of Monsters And Men, Iceland’s hottest export since Sigur Ros (or Bjork, depending on your taste), are a six-piece alternative-folk band. After hearing ‘Little Talks’ last year, I dragged some reluctant, hung-over friends with me to see their midday set.

Despite not knowing OMAM, my mates didn’t regret it. Their songs are a paradox of dreamy melodies with an underlying darkness. A bit like the contrast between  Nanna’s high-pitched vocals, similar to Regina Spektor, and Ragnar’s husky tones, like Marcus Mumford’s.  The result is an album packed with whimsical lyrics and epic, sing-along songs.

Like the rest of this tour, their first time at UEA was a sell-out. Support came from Mugison, another Icelandic musician and self-professed “fairly hairy human being”. Think Alex Clare’s gravelly voice combined with the earthy blues sound of Seasick Steve and Catfish Keith. ‘I Want You’ sounded very Black Keys-ish, a gritty rock ‘n’ roll song full of angst and quirky lyrics about shaving his beard. ‘Sweetest Melody’ was a soulful tune about singing and swinging the blues away that’d give Ray LaMontagne a run for his money. When people started to clap, Mugison admitted he was too drunk to play to any beat!

After a short wait, the lights dimmed and an effusive cheer erupted, signalling the Monsters’ entrance.

They began with the album’s opener, ‘Dirty Paws’, a majestic song about enchanted woodland beasts. Infectiously cheery, ‘From Finner’ had us singing “We are far from home, but we’re so happy” (appropriate for a band spending months on tour). Next came ‘King and Lionheart’, swelling to a defiant chorus in which glacial mountains and the wilderness of nature are romanticised. ‘Mountain Sound’ stood out due to the audience-interaction initiated by Nanna and Ragnar, followed by the haunting ‘Your Bones’, its tribal drumbeat ensuring the whole crowd was under the Monsters’ spell.

‘Lakehouse’ had a heavenly, Fleet Foxes vibe and despite lyrics such as “we sleep all day”, the crowd was far from lethargic. This’ll sound perfect while revising in the sun (or at least pretending to). Unsurprisingly, the LCR embraced every second of ‘Little Talks’ and ‘Six Weeks’, with its resilient Arcade Fire-esque drumbeat, was equally well-received.

The encore began with ‘Sloom’, a slow, folk-blues song with Bon Iver-style guitar strumming, ending on ‘Yellow Light’, an anthem and lullaby simultaneously. We sang to the tinkly piano melody, Nanna banged the drum, and every band member seemed utterly immersed in their instrument, collectively contributing to a mesmerising finale. I found myself longing for a second encore, partly as it was only 10pm. Nonetheless, we were treated to an inspiring gig. Both acts were unassumingly charismatic and their lyrics a refreshing change from themes featured in most produced-within-an-inch-of-its-life chart music!

Have a listen to the debut album, ‘My Head is an Animal’, and prepare to be transported to a Nordic kingdom with Vikings and talking trees. Or Narnia. Or wherever your imagination takes you with their wild imagery about love, escape, and adventure. Christened “the new Arcade Fire” by Rolling Stone, this gig confirmed them worthy of the hype.