On Tuesday night, Of Monsters and Men played to a welcoming crowd on a beautiful summer night at Merriweather Post Pavilion, their indie pop harmonies and theatricality well suited to the vastness of the space. Openers HAIM added enough just enough rebelliousness and grit to the night to keep things grounded.
Of Monsters and Men takes their production seriously, with nearly every detail of the show seemingly planned. Taking the stage with a white sheet obscuring the stage and the band members just shadows illuminated by purple lights, the band quietly started into “Dirty Paws.” As the song picked up, the sheet dramatically fell and the audience immediately transitioned from cheers to singing along.
The five piece Icelandic band, which expands to seven members when on tour, was quite a spectacle on Tuesday night. Standing center stage, singer and guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir vaguely resembles Bjork; her seemingly-innocent face was framed by the turquoise she dyed the ends of her hair. Her co-singer and guitarist Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson, sported a porkpie hat, while another guitarist donned a full tuxedo.
It was definitely odd and eclectic, but somehow endearing at the same time. Their bassist, drummer, piano player, and piano/ accordion/ trumpet player rounded out the group on stage. Backed by oversized, brightly-lit domes, it was the kind of enchanting backdrop that I wish I could recreate at home.
Touring in support of the hugely popular 2012 album My Head Is An Animal, Of Monsters and Men delivered to their fans exactly what they came out to Merriweather to hear. In person, the band’s multi-part harmonies are just as rich as they sound on the album. When they came together, their voices seemed to soar to the top of the venue, filling every space. The lyrics of their songs – which often contain heavy doses of sing-a-long-ready “la la” or “oh oh”– make their live shows easy for the crowd to feel a part of.
And audience participation was certainly encouraged. Toward the beginning of the set, Hilmarsdóttir asked the crowd, “for this song, can we see all your hands high up in the air?” before they launched into a beautiful rendition of “Slow and Steady.” She barely needed to ask before the crowd readily complied. On other tracks, notably “From Finner,” the band was ready with coordinated choreography, swaying back and forth on the stage in unison.
Toward the end of the set, as the band was winding down “Lakehouse” and just before starting their biggest hit, “Little Talks,” confetti came streaming from the stage, turning the pit into a colorful scene resembling midnight on New Years Eve.
Of Monsters and Men closed out the encore with “Yellow Light,” the final song on their album, slower and much sparser than many of the other tracks on the LP The stage was mostly dark, with only Hilmarsdóttir and Þórhallsson’s faces lit. And then, fake snow started to fall from the rafters – a little over the top, sure, but also a little magical in the moment.
As lovely as that all sounds, there’s a reason I’ve spent so much time describing the effort the band put into the production of their show. Most of Of Monsters and Men’s songs sound the same—like so many multi-instrumentalist indie pop bands these days, their songs tend to start out simply and build to a crescendo as they add instruments, add voices, and fill choruses with the audience singing along. It’s a formula that works well for them, but it is just that—a formula.
With only one album to draw on and a headlining set to fill, I understand the difficulty in creating a dynamic musical show. But even their sole cover in the set, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Skeleton,” is one they very often play on tour. The most exciting part of the night came just before the encore, during a slightly chaotic rendition of “Six Weeks.” With extra percussion and less choreography, their live version was darker and with a harder beat than the recorded version, and was a clear highlight of their set for me. But those moments were scarce.
Before they started “Yellow Light,” with crowd protesting the announcement that it was the last song of the night, Þórhallsson admitted, “Guys, we actually don’t have any more songs.” And maybe that’s my hang up – I just want more from Of Monsters and Men. More creativity live, more songs to pull from, and more chaos – as opposed controlled production. Tuesday’s show was certainly beautiful, but I’m hoping their next album challenges our assumptions of what the band can do.
Truth be told, I was actually even more excited to see opening act HAIM. The “three sisters and one hot fucking mister in the back,” as bassist and oldest sister Esta Haim proclaimed, have been getting more buzz than almost any other act I can remember in recent history, even without a full length album to their name (it’s purportedly in the final stages, coming soon). Youngest sister Alana covers keyboard and rhythmic guitar with middle sister Danielle on vocals and guitar. Drummer Dash Hutton rounds out the LA-based band.
Stepping onstage, the group wasted no time launching into “Better Off,” the lead on track off of 2012’s “Forever” EP. While Danielle often acts as lead singer, the sisters truly share the responsibility, with layered vocals and harmonies a distinguishing feature on many of their tracks.
HAIM’s sound is not always easy to pinpoint. Songs like “Forever,” the second song of their set, justify the oft-heard comparisons to Stevie Nicks. And with their third song, a hard rocking cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well,” it’s clearly not an association they’re trying to dismiss. But their music is more complex than that, with elements reminiscent of ‘80s dance or R&B coming through—and every song seems just a little more rebellious than you would expect.
There’s an edge to their sound that feels authentic and original, an element that is both surprising and welcoming from a sister act hailing from LA. It may be due, at least in part, to the musical talent that each of the sisters clearly possesses. With no back drop and minimal lighting, there’s little to distract the audience when all three sisters take a break from singing to concentrate on their instruments. It’s almost like they’re using this opportunity to prove their musical chops to the audience, showing they can truly play—really, really well.
In part because almost every song is up-tempo and heavy on guitar and bass, Merriweather wouldn’t necessarily be my first choice to see HAIM. It’s hard enough to get fans up from their chairs or blankets for a main act, let alone dancing to an opening act. I would love to see them somewhere more intimate, a little darker, and a little grungier. But, as Esta reminded the audience, the first festival the band ever played in the U.S. was the Sweetlife Festival here at Merriweather. In an unabashed style she’s come to be known for, she told us about her time at Sweetlife, “In my head, I had a love affair with Aesop Rock. We made sweet, sweet babies together… That didn’t happen. But this place will always have a special place in my heart.”
By the time their half-hour set came to a close, with the sisters wholly focused on their usual finale—an intense and synchronized, sisters-only drum circle on stage —the crowd was on board, dancing and clapping and generally a bit awed by the unexpected power of it all. I don’t think I’ll be the only one back to see HAIM when they’re the ones headlining.
PHOTOS: JULIA LOFSTRAND
