Of Monsters And Men
Of Monsters and Men returned to Oakland on Wednesday night for their first Bay Area show in nearly 6 years, stepping back onto the road with fresh momentum and a brand-new record—All Is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade, released just over a month ago. Fans packed into the Fox Theater long before doors, with a merch line wrapping around the venue and a crowd buzzing to finally see the Icelandic folk-rock favorites back on stage.
The night opened with a gorgeous 30-minute set from fellow Icelander Árný Margrét, whose soft electric guitar and haunting vocals instantly hushed the room. Her set felt intimate and unhurried. Songs like “I Miss You, I Do,” “Crooked Teeth,” and “Greyhound Station” landing with the quiet confidence of someone who doesn’t need anything more than a voice and a story.
When the house lights dropped again, the roar was immediate.Of Monsters and Men eased in with “Television Love” and “Dream Team” before diving into “King and Lionheart,” a welcome early nod to their My Head Is an Animal era. Vocalists Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson traded lines with their usual dynamic contrast.
From there, the set moved confidently between eras: “Tuna in a Can,” “Alligator,” “Human,” “The Block,” and “Mouse Parade” flowed with a steady, assured confidence. The staging stayed minimalist but striking: photography umbrellas glowing across the backline, thick haze, and lighting that shifted between soft pastels and saturated blues. With little chatter between songs, the band let arrangement and dynamics drive the night.
The crowd reached another level when the first notes of “Dirty Paws” hit. The singalong was instant and overwhelming - hundreds of voices rising at once in one of the most communal moments of the night. That energy carried into “Empire,” “Crystals,” “Styrofoam Cathedral,” and “Ordinary Creature,” delivered with a sense of precision and warmth that framed this tour as a true return to form.
One unexpected highlight came midway through the set as the full band stepped away from their instruments and gathered at center stage under deep blue light, harmonizing together as if around a small campfire. The room fell quiet as they sang in unison - a brief, stripped-down moment that felt simple, warm, and quietly beautiful.
The show’s emotional peak came just after, when the familiar opening of “Little Talks” hit and fans exploded with color and sound. Bright beams cut across the room, the crowd roared to life, and every chorus shook the Fox as fans belted it back at the band.
After a thunderous run through “Visitor,” the group slipped offstage before returning for a gentle two-song encore. “Love Love Love” brought the room into a soft sway, and “Fruit Bat” lifted the night back into celebration.
More than five years since their last Bay performance, the band walked offstage to the kind of applause that comes from fans who’ve grown with them and still feel every note.
Check out our full live show photo gallery HERE
