Monotonix @ CAMP

7th September 2010 @ City Arts Music Project, Old Street, London

It’s not often that you can wander up for a chat with the lead singer of a band before the show, but tonight wasn’t any ordinay gig. Tonight we are underground at CAMP basement (City Arts Music Project) on Old Street, a dilapidated bar venue which needs a few licks of paint. yet this provides the perfect place for our one and only band of the night, Monotonix. Underground is exactly where Monotonix belong, far from the mainstream, far from officials who ban them from their venues and so close to the fans they adore.

Monotonix

This power trio have a style which is unlike any other i’ve witnessed. Most bands shy away from their crowds…not Monotonix. In fact they insist on playing at eye level with the crowd. So that’s where they were, on the floor with the rest of us as they cranked up their bluesy garage rock up mega loud and started the mayhem by continually throwing water and beer over the encircling crowd (I was hit by an ice cube between the eyes too, not pleasant).

Up close and personal

This was one of the craziest shows I’ve been to, with the band moving every 10 minutes to a new location throughout the venue including on the bar and in the toilets. Lead singer Ami Shalev was manically exuberant with his dancing, aping from the ceiling, crowd surfing & bar diving which finally resulted in him sat on a stool held in the air by the crowd playing the drums (also being held aloft). Still a lot of the credit has to go to the following music makers who obediently follow him round the venue (and up onto the bar) chucking out the rock like possessed demons as they go.

Ami Shalev Crowd Surf-Drumming

You only had to check the faces of the audience, with permanent smiles goes some way to showing just how fun it was to be here tonight. Audience participation of course was encouraged and simple, but avoiding the sweaty hairy chests was less easy.

Rock on the Bar

Monotonix are easily one of the most brilliant live bands I’ve ever seen! The amazing thing is that every one of their shows are just as crazy as this one. So unless your repulsed by 3 sweaty hairy beer-soaked Isrealis, playing raw garage rock in their boxer shorts (I can see this isn’t everyones tastes), you must check them out!!