I was sad going into this show because the rumor is that this is the last MONOTONIX tour. Seems six years of non stop touring, marriage and new children might be shutting this band down, temporarily. Six years on the road may not sound like a lot for a band to be worn out, but you probably never experienced a show anywhere near one like this. MONOTONIX are a stripped down 3-piece garage rock band from Tel Aviv, Israel that leave a path of destruction everywhere they play. They don't need a stage to perform. The venue is their stage. The band sets up among the crowd and tends to let them dictate where they play each song. It isn't uncommon for the band to play above the crowd, with the guitar player crowd surfing, the lead singer standing up in the crowd Iggy Pop style and the drummer playing a drum kit being held up by their most loyal fans. They steal drinks from fans and dump them on others, they light themselves and their instruments on fire and turn every venue they play into a sweaty crazed up moshpit/dance party.
Thankfully nothing was set on fire tonight or everybody would have been in trouble at this DIY out of the way warehouse. We got to the venue just in time to catch a little bit of the heavy rock band FEDERATION X. These guys reminded me of the JESUS LIZARD, which means they were cool. Next up was PUJOL, which are a catchy punk/garage rock band out of Nashville. From what I gathered, this band is centered around the lead singer, Daniel Pujol and have caught the attention of the one and only Jack White. Expect to being hearing more from these guys...
On to the main attraction of the evening. Maybe they are getting worn out from the crazy performances as this seemed to be the shortest of all the MONOTONIX shows that I have been to. Either way, they always give the fans what they came for and you are never left disappointed. After lots of crowd surfing, spraying beers, scaling walls and even using the bar as a stage, the band ended up on the main stage asking everyone to sit down and told everyone to "shut the fuck up!!" They thanked everyone for their support over the years and confirmed the rumors that they this will be their last tour in the US. Then they walked off into the crowd talking with fans and friends as if they were hanging out in a bar. It was a pretty odd way to end the show but nothing these guys do should seem odd. That is what makes they so great.
Found this little video clip online from the show. You can spend some time on youtube watching craziness from other shows they have played. Lots of it.
Here are some photos I took from when I saw them before (Brooklyn Bowl 2010 & Coney Island Siren Fest 2009):
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