Of Monsters and Men at Roundhouse

An unbelievably cold February night was tempered somewhat by Of Monsters and Men performing at The Roundhouse in Camden. Touring after a six-year hiatus to promote last year’s album, All Is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade, this was the first of their two London shows.

The venue was near crammed, and they were immediately met with affectionate cheers. Given the simplicity of the stage arrangement, the circular room added Shakespearean eloquence.

An unexpected break halfway through the set transformed the already enjoyable show into a spiritual experience. Apart from a dim blue glow for visibility, all was dark. The group standing peacefully in a little circle under a soft golden light and harmonising before drifting back to their places gave the impression of something magical happening. It was tonally perhaps at odds with the very energetic crowd, but by no means unwelcome. This enhanced the romanticism and added a gentle melancholy to the second half.

In addition to this solemnity, the band was very fun: The Block was dedicated to a “charismatic clown” who has followed them across the tour. Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir’s dramatic stage whisper was likewise met with amusement.

The demand for an encore after Visitor quickly turned into several thousand people stomping their feet and chanting for one more song. Clearly, this manifestation was more than successful, with the grateful crowd gifted Love Love Love from the early days of Of Monsters and Men, and one of their most recent, Fruit Bat.

Whilst the entire set operated as a cohesive narrative, their attention to storytelling was evident through their lyrics and performance. Nanna added to the whimsy as she spun around with a skirt shaped to look like roses and a glittery electric guitar.

Having opened with Television Love, they swiftly moved through new releases Dream Team and Tuna in a Can before performing high-octane Alligator. Additionally, the stage lights during Ordinary Creature resembled the Northern Lights, very fitting for this Icelandic band.

The crowd were enraptured and sang along to the allegorical The Tower at the End of the Road. The dialogue piece Little Talks formed a tender duet between Nanna and Ragnar Þórhallsson.

All of this made for an entertaining if nonconventional evening. The oscillation between energetic songs and gentler ones ensured balance. Equally, there was deliberate care shown to the emotions of each song, and all was enhanced by strong vocals and the friendliness of the band.