Of Monsters and Men at The Orpheum

On Sunday night, Icelandic folk-pop group Of Monsters and Men took to the stage at The Orpheum and kicked off their North American tour. The Vancouver fans were bursting at the seams with excitement, flooding the stage as soon as the back-lit curtain dropped during their first song “Dirty Paws” which is also the first track on their album My Head is an Animal (2011).

Photo credit: John Bollwitt for Miss604

Those who weren’t running to the aisles to dance were holding up their smartphones to take photos and record video (and but still nodding to the familiar tunes) and singing along. From the very first song people were singing along, while the band encouraged clapping in unison with arms stretched high over their heads.

While My Head is an Animal is the six-person band’s only album to date, it’s had global success especially with the first single “Little Talks” and their second single “Mountain Sound”, both were enjoyed by the Vancouver crowd who belted out every accompanying “HEY!”. These two singles were also recently performed by the group on Saturday Night Live.

Bright lights, dancing, sing-alongs, and a shower of confetti made wide smiles even wider at this feel-good, sold-out show. Of Monsters and Men gave Vancouver the concert its been preparing for while listening to their album at home and in return local fans gave them the perfect send-off for their tour. They’ll be zig-zagging across Canada and the United States until the end of summer where they have dates in the UK, Denmark, Italy, and around Europe.