I often say that I have trouble putting thoughts about certain things into words. It’s difficult enough when discussing TV shows and movies but music? Ehh~. I’ve gone on about how Mono convey thoughts and feelings without even using lyrics but their live shows are some of those you-have-to-be-there moments. In case I’m tl;dr here then, take my word for it and grab a ticket if they’re touring near you. And take earplugs. It gets loud.
The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds is a great small venue (around 300 capacity, give or take) so while the sound isn’t of stadium quality it’s cosy enough and gives a sense of close-ness, for want of a better word, that’s more intimate to me than those larger venues. In this case the support act were a local band called Glissando and the headliners worked to a set comprised of highlights from their latest album and some old favourites.
In the role of support Glissando made a pleasant yet inobtrusive job of warming up the audience for the main event; they’ve been likened to the Cocteau Twins but since I’m not familiar with their material I can’t vouch for that. Anyhow, Glissando are a haunting mix of tolling drums, echoing guitar riffs and otherworldly vocals that feels tender yet vaguely unsettling, in a good way I hasten to add. The convention, if there is such a thing, for ambient/post-rock bands is the lack of lyrical content but in Glissando’s case the vocals are part of the instrumentation and heighten the mood of the pieces. I don’t have an overwhelming urge to buy their records but their live act worked very well indeed.
I’ll admit right off that Mono are hands-down one of my favourite bands and their concerts have a legendary status so I had very high hopes for this. I’ll also admit that I was two pints of ale and a double whiskey for the worse when I walked into the venue and was at the front near the far right hand side of the stage so probably wasn’t in an ideal position for a hardcore audiophile. Nevetherless, the sound they can create is quite something: it veers from plaintive, chiming piano and clean guitars to the tinnitus-inducing wall of sound.
The set opened with Ashes In The Snow, complete with the same faint wailing and tender glockenspiel introduction as the studio version. The live rendition closely followed its recorded counterpart but the obvious appeal of the live experience is the frequency range, in the bass range particularly: stripped of the orchestral arrangement this and Burial At Sea felt more raw and immediate.
I didn’t recognise The Kidnapper Bell but it sat well with the rest of the set; less complex and layered than the more recent songs but in the live setting this isn’t such a bad thing. If nothing else it offered a pleasant surprise for those of us expecting performances of the newer songs and little else. The extra bottom end and presence also lent itself well to Pure As Snow (Trails of the Winter Storm), which started off in the vein of their more restful tunes but built up into an impressive crescendo; the pounding of the percussion gave way to borderline-atonal noise courtesy of guitarist Taka, as he coaxed a maelstrom of digital shrieks from his beat-up Jazzmaster and extensive pedalboard.
Sabbath, another old tune that made a surprise appearance, gave another change of pace with its atmosphere of serene reflection. The following number Yearning is one of the fan favourites and I can see why: the dynamic changes worked even better than they do on record because it allowed such marked shifts in mood. If there’s one limitation to their studio sound it’s the tendency to iron out these volume changes and mix the instrumentation down together; here, Tamaki’s basslines and Takada’s drumming pounded out louder and clearer than they ever did from my hi-fi speakers.
Follow The Map is a bit of a departure arrangement-wise, feeling almost like an intermission piece; even so, in its short (by Mono’s standards) duration this one still does a beautiful job of setting out its own narrative. It happens to be one of my personal favourites too: the joyous finale sounds great with orchestral backing but I was glad to hear the same strength of feeling with just Takada’ drums, Taka and Yoda on guitars and Tamaki on keyboard.
An inevitable yet stunning rendition of Halcyon (Beautiful Days) followed – from what I’ve read, they ALWAYS play Halcyon – and of course closing the set with the tearjerking Everlasting Light. Again, it’s credit to the band in that they can recreate all of this without session musicians or prerecorded samples: the orchestral part isn’t there but the spirit and impact comes across just as clearly. They played out almost exactly how I expected them to but with an extended intro here, a bit more FX pedal tweaking there and the physical expressiveness of the musicians’ performance.
If there were any interviews or signings I must have missed them but I was fortunate enough to briefly meet Taka and Yoda as they caught some air backstage afterwards. During the performance I had a vague sensation that, what with it being the end of the UK leg of the tour, the whole band were feeling a bit exhausted so I was reluctant to pester them with too many questions (I was still feeling overwhelmed TBH). Nevertheless they were happy to return my stammering thank-yous with some polite words and a couple of friendly handshakes – all in all then it was a very special evening.
Setlist
- Ashes In The Snow
- Burial At Sea
- The Kidnapper Bell
- Pure As Snow (Trails of the Winter Storm)
- Sabbath*
- Yearning
- Follow The Map
- Halcyon (Beautiful Days)
- Everlasting Light
*I can’t be sure but I think this could just as easily have been Are You There?.