While on their The Mouse Parade Tour, Of Monsters and Men sold out their show at ACL Live in Austin.
Of Monsters and Men is a folk rock band from Garðabær, Iceland. Today, the band is made up of Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir (vocals/guitar), Ragnar Þórhallsson (vocals/guitar), Brynjar Leifsson (guitar), Kristján Páll Kristjánsson (bass), and Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson (drums). The band has been making music together since 2010 and released their debut album the next year, My Head is an Animal.
A few of their songs have received commercial success after being featured in various movies and TV shows. In 2012, their song “Dirty Paws” (2011) was promoted in the movie trailer for the now-classic The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The next year, their song “Silhouettes” was included in the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013). In October, the band released their most recent album, All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade.
Opening for Of Monsters and Men is musician Árný Margrét. Margrét is also an Icelandic native. She released her first single in 2018, “Intertwined,” and then in 2022, she released her debut album, They Only Talk About the Weather. The cozy album showcases her melodic voice and folky style. In March, Margrét released her second album, “I Miss You, I Do.”
As she began her set, a hush fell across the crowd. Her soft, captivating voice caught everyone’s attention. Even as she performed a song in her native tongue, the audience remained quiet, in awe of the talent, despite not understanding the lyrics. She performed original songs such as “Crooked Teeth” and “Greyhound Station.” She closed her set with an unreleased track, which she introduced as being scary for her to perform because she played the harmonica during it.
At around 9 PM, Of Monsters and Men opened their set with “Television Love,” the opening track from their newest album. The album dives into themes of longing, questions about life, and belonging. This folk rock album stays true to their roots, all the while setting itself apart from their previous albums. Throughout the night, they performed other songs from it, such as “Dream Team” and “Tuna in a Can.”Early on in the show, they threw it back by performing the older track “King and Lionheart” (2011), a song about staying loyal and brave despite enduring hardships through life and relationships. As the night came to a near end, Of Monsters and Men played their fan favorite “Little Talks,” during which Árný Margrét played her harmonica. For their encore, they performed two songs, “Love Love Love” and “Fruit Bat.” This foot-stompin band didn’t fail to liven up the night. Their set could have never ended, and the audience wouldn’t have batted an eye. Of Monsters and Men has proven that their sound can last the test of time.
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