A Greek Theatre Full Of Monsters and Men

Of Monsters and Men perform at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on August 12, 2015.

Of Monsters and Men, an Indie Folk/Indie Pop band from Keflavik, Iceland, performed at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on the night of August 12, 2015.

While the band is no stranger to playing in Los Angeles, having previously played at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, this was the band’s first time playing at The Greek Theatre.

The band is made up of five members, Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdóttir, (lead singer/guitarist), Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson (co-singer/guitarist), Brynjar Leifsson (guitar), Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson (drummer), and Kristján Páll Kristjánsson (bassist).

The 5,800 seat open-air theatre was packed with fans who showed their appreciation throughout the show by singing along and dancing with the band to songs from their current album Beneath the Skin which debuted at number three on the US Billboard Top 200, as well as their 2011 debut album My Head is an Animal which garnered them worldwide attention and a dedicated fan base. The bands popularity also attracted the “tree people” who listened just behind the fence at the top of the hill along the tree line.

Of Monsters and Men at The Greek Theatre-HD 720p from Matt Rose on Vimeo.

Of Monsters and Men opened the show with “Thousand Eyes,” which begins with a haunting piano chord progression and Nanna’s quiet and controlled vocals that are pointedly soft and rich. The progression continues and picks up tempo, and a quiet drumming is heard while the piano starts to play a little louder and faster; all instruments and vocals coming together like a gathering storm of swirling clouds evoking feelings of intrepid excitement. A guitar starts in accompanying the piano progression, which is then joined by a precise violin and subtle horns culminating in a loud crescendo like a lightning strike ending with Nanna’s enchanting voice that sounds more assured and empowered than it did at the beginning of the song. This all lends to the songs general meaning of transition and coming into one’s own person.

They followed with the first release from their current album Crystals which is a melodic manifesto of vulnerability and self-acceptance. After this, the band turned to a song off their first album, a very personal song that Nanna wrote about her little brother, “King and Lionheart,” which is a definite fan favorite given the amount of people singing and swaying along.

Blending fan favorite tracks from both albums, they continued to please the crowd with “Empire,” “Black Water,” “Dirty Paws,” “Winter Sound,” “I of the Storm,” “Human,” “Hunger,” “Mountain Sound,” “Wolves Without Teeth,” “Lakehouse,” “Little Talks,” and “Six Weeks.” The three-song encore performance included “Organs” which was “…the first time the song was performed at a concert,” Nanna said before beginning the song.

“Silhouettes,” a song that was recorded for the Hunger Games Catching Fire soundtrack was performed next and they ended with “We Sink.”

The band is currently on a worldwide tour for their second album Beneath the Skin which will take them to a few more states and then Europe.

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