Photos by Marc Fong ~ Written by Mike Frash
Of Monsters and Men‘s meteoric rise since stomping onto the music scene in early 2012 is something to behold. Sure, one-album phenomenons like Alabama Shakes and Imagine Dragons have become more common in the age of streaming, where easier and earlier access to music has created legions of burgeoning critics and a generation of music ‘experts’ who spread opinion faster than it took the same folks to judge the new Daft Punk album. In early 2012, it was these early adaptors that catapulted the Icelandic upstarts to buzz-worthy status, securing venues for Of Monsters and Men before they had even released an album.
And here they are 14 months later, selling out venues in minutes and rocking a visual aesthetic that’s gone gothic-chic, the effect of making money hand over-fist and having a promoter that cares about your long-term success. Of Monsters and Men have themselves to thank for success, as their anthemic songs are some of the catchiest material to come around in a while; you can listen to one of their songs like “Six Weeks” and you’ll be singing along to the refrain by the end of the first time you hear it. Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson are the heart and soul of the group, but it’s the collective wall-of-sound this seven-piece touring act creates that has made Of Monsters and Men one of the most popular groups around.
Of Monsters and Men performed at Fox Theatre Oakland May 16. View their setlist below the photo gallery.
Set list:
1. “Dirty Paws”
2. “From Finner”
3. “Slow and Steady”
4. “Mountain Sound”
5. “Beneath My Bed”
6. “Skeletons”
7. “Your Bones”
8. “Love Love Love”
9. “King and Lionheart”
10. “Lakehouse”
11. “Little Talks”
12. “Six Weeks”
Encore
13. “Numb Bears”
14. “Little Talks”
15. “Yellow Light”
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