24 February 2013 (gig)
24 February 2013
From within Icelands torn and twisted landscape has became somethingmajestic and whimsical. Of Monsters And Men are a 5 piece indie folk band from Kevalik whose chilled sounds has turned into one of the hottest bands in the world right now.
Recently embarking on a small UK tour they brought their sound to the modest Manchester Academy- tickets had sold out months in advance and they could have easily filled the place 3 times over.
Moving through their setlist which was basically their critically acclaimed album My Head Is An Animal they had the audience in the palm of their hand from start to finish. From chilled ambientic lows from Slow Steady to bellowing peaks with the crowd pleasers Six Weeks, Mountain Sound and Little Talks and later to the beautiful track Yellow Light to end and bring what was a warming and embracing return to English soil to OM&M.
The whole night the entire audience were transfixed and somewhat fell in love with the vocal/guitarist duo leading the group Nanna Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Bóhallsson. With vocals dainty enough to setdown an angry think to a sound powerful like a battlecry cries came from the audience shouting "audio bliss"-which quite summed up the night. Credit is also heavily due to the rest of the band keeping the folk sound alive with added accordian and trumpet to marvellous avail.
Heckles calling for more and more rang with an audience leaving heavily pleased with their brilliant performance. With a string of dates left in the UK as well as several festival appearances in the summer OM&M can only go from strength to strength.
As they say in Iceland: ljómandi!
