Review: Of Monsters and Men bring Nordic folk music to Birmingham
- Iceland’s Of Monsters and Men played at Birmingham’s O2 Academy on Thursday November 19th 2015
- Support came from Norwegian quartet, Highasakite
On Thursday night, the O2 Academy in Birmingham played host to an evening of Nordic heritage and wilderness inspired music, in the form of magical and alluring sets by, Of Monsters and Men, and their chosen support, Highasakite. The venue was full to capacity with an audience consisting of various age ranges, from teenagers to middle aged and older. The enthusiasm for what awaited us was imminent and we all had high expectations for a night of impressive performances, varied set lists and talent from both bands.
Highasakite
Highasakite began and immediately the Nordic influence was present with the stage being lit by glowing candle light, giving a warm ambience to the large venue and an atmosphere reflecting the necessity to keep warm during the harsh winters of the bands native home, Norway. The band as a collective were perfect, the violin bow used on the guitar produced a hypnotic drone as a backdrop, the drums were forceful and the set as a whole was faultless. The change from a candlelit glow to shimmering spotlights maintained the ambience whilst providing more impact once the set moved from the harmonies to the more upbeat songs. The star of the performance was vocalist, Ingrid Helene Håvik. Her voice began as a heartfelt whisper to which the audience was completely silent, then soared to pitch perfect heights before simmering back down and leaving us with the goose-bump realisation that we had just witnessed an incredible talent. She reached out to the audience, expressed and embraced every note that she clearly and confidently projected, whilst still maintaining an essence of rare vulnerability. It is clear to see why this band were chosen as the support, not only was their style in keeping with the Nordic influence through the lyrics, but the sheer talent would be too good an opportunity to miss as an opening act.
Of Monsters and Men
The Icelandic indie folk band, Of Monsters and Men, entered the stage as silhouettes to a cheering audience. The haze of white light created another wintry, yet, magical glow, with each musician gaining more light as the set began. Although they officially consist of six members, nine musicians graced the stage and vocalist, Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, was first to take the spotlight. As she commenced her fragile and haunting vocals with the set opener, ‘Thousand Eyes,’ the room was once again silent and in awe. The battle beckoning drumbeat, evocative of Viking warriors slowly crept in, working up to a powerful intensity accompanying the lyrics, “I am the storm,” to create a dramatic beginning to their set.
Of Monsters and Men
The mixture of Nanna’s, fragile, but at times, mighty, vocals and the almost Celtic sounding voice of male singer, Ragnar “Raggi” Porhallsson, provided the perfect compliment to each other. One voice is dark, one is light, one is cheerful and clear, the other melancholy, making a full-bodied contrast of vocal conversation between the two. Following the intensity of the opening song, the set took a light-hearted turn and by the third song, ‘King and Lionheart,’ from the first album, the clapping and foot stomping were just as loud as the music, with everyone fully enjoying the interactiveness between the band and the audience. The band members worked together as a collective, no single musician was more important than another. The variety of background sound, such as, accordion, piano and trumpets created a powerful and solid structure that encapsulated the room suggesting that this band would be well suited to, and have the talent, to impress at outdoor festival performances.
Of Monsters and Men
The set consisted of a good mixture of songs from both the first and second albums, songs such as ‘Organs’ provided us with a sombre look into the darkest thoughts of vocalist, Nanna. With her beautiful and vulnerable vocals swirling from a purple glowing stage, it seemed that she was sharing a piece of her soul with the audience and we were privileged to be able to listen to her darkest thoughts. In contrast, songs such as, ‘Little Talks’, provided a crescendo of joyful energy and a conclusion of Icelandic playfulness. It is possibly in keeping with the contrast between the two vocal styles that the set worked so well, one half melancholy and one half happy, matching the voices of Nanna and Ragnar. The final song of the set was the well known, ‘Dirty Paws’ which was greatly appreciated and welcomed by the audience. Amongst all the foot stomping and a crowd singing along to every word, various band members began pounding drums to create a powerhouse of an ending. Throughout the set the significant component was that the band looked like they enjoyed every minute of their performance just as much as the audience did. It was a pleasure to watch so many talented musicians all working together as a family to bring a magical, heartfelt show and a Nordic inspired evening to an audience that left the venue with smiles on their faces.
Photographs by Katie Foulkes
View the full set here.
English and Media Studies graduate, frequent traveler, vinyl and vintage enthusiast….fan of delta blues, folk, 60s/70s rock, psychedelia and the many gaps in between. Favourite artists include Wooden Shjips, Radio Moscow, All Them Witches and too many others to mention.