Of Monsters and Men @ The Institute Birmingham (26/02/2013)

With ‘Little Things’ breaking into the Official UK Top 40 last year, Icelandic 7-piece Of Monsters and Men are much, much more than just a one track wonder. Their debut album “My Head is an Animal” brought massive commercial acclaim.

As the rabble walked out into the Institute stage; the band squeezed tightly from left to right, the crowd could tell that this was going to be an interesting evening. The first few notes of ‘Dirty Paws’ echoed around the venue, rather than a mobbish cheer; there was a subtle ‘yesss’. The sold out venue were far more transfixed by the beautiful 7 way “Hey!” rather than cheering their arrival.

The Icelandic band seem to bring comparisons with Mumford and Sons and Noah and the Whale during their live performance. The drummer has the fantastic ability to captivate the crowd and encourage them to clap along, whilst ensuring the band are tight and note perfect for every song. The only seemed that wasn’t quite flawless was Of Monsters and Men female vocalist, who seemed to fall a little flat during some of her parts, perhaps a hint of a saw throat, but it really didn’t impact the performance one bit.

Playing songs from their debut album, the band also treated the crowd to a brilliant version of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Skeleton”, which transformed the song into a true OMAM track. Whilst each track brought cheers from the crowd, the party really started when ‘Little Talks’ was aired. But this was by no means their best track, with album closer “Yellow Light” which had the audience and band alike smiling from ear to ear.

With the summer festival announcement in full swing, and Of Monsters and Men already confirmed for Stafford’s V Festival, they are certainly one of the best live acts I’ve seen grace an indoor stage. I don’t think their anthemic tunes and Icelandic tones will resonate well on the outdoor environment.

Tags: birmingham, live, Of Monsters and Men, The Institute

About the Author

Samuel Litherland My first gig was Kaiser Chiefs at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall back in 2007. Since then, I've been lucky enough to have seen Bombay Bicycle Club nine times, other memorable shows have been Foals, Two Door Cinema Club, Death From Above 1979, Arcade Fire and Blur. I love unsigned music or bands that are about to break - I really do listen to anything and everything.