SPILL LIVE REVIEW: OF MONSTERS AND MEN @ HISTORY, TORONTO

OF MONSTERS AND MEN

@ HISTORY, TORONTO

DECEMBER 5, 2025

You always know when you’re at an Of Monsters and Men show; the flannels come out in droves, and the smoking area is alive with conversations of microdosing and existential dread. Not to disrespect the band or any of their die-hard fans (of which there are multitudes), it’s just always lovely to see such a specific group of people finding community amongst one another, as well as the music they love, at these live events.

From the very first moment of stage presence, Of Monsters and Men had the venue audience hooked and entirely held in a trance. The band gave their hearts, and all through a 1-hour and 40-minute compilation of their greatest hits and fan favourites alike. Kicking off with “Television Love,” which is the opening track off of the LP that they’re currently touring North America with, All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade. It’s an incredible album that acts as a genuine pinpoint of maturity and creativity on behalf of the six-piece folk rock legends, and these sentiments are easily interpretable during the live performances of these songs; the gang is back and bigger than ever, not even cancelled shows and unexpected sickness can keep them away.

The stage design was beautiful, and the expressive aesthetic accoutrements surrounding the band members (gigantic beige circles that glow to varying degrees, reminiscent of oversized studio lighting) allowed the audience to enjoy the group’s presence and the big picture. Ragnar Þórhallsson and Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir were having an extremely noticeable amount of fun. Even at the farthest accessible bar areas in the venue space, the energy the band gave off was infectious and attention demanding. It’s a physical mood that reached a holy trinity-akin level of unity when combined with the themes of their music, as well as the restrained but perfect stage design.

After a feature film’s worth of soul-touching tunes and performances, as well as extremely crowd-vocal renditions of fan favourites, “Little Talks” and “Dirty Paws,” out with a song that is, in Hilmarsdóttir’s words, ‘really fucking long,’ so the fans wouldn’t feel a note too bittersweet during the curtain call. They couldn’t have chosen a better note to end the night on, as the band began warming up to the introduction sections of “Fruit Bat,” a nine-minute odyssey of a folk-rock tune that is best enjoyed while staring out of a bus window on a rainy Sunday afternoon. However, an incredibly sold-out show with empathetic and overwhelmed fans is just as good. The epic instrumental that builds, while progressively becoming more intense, was cathartic to witness in person, especially given the surroundings: fans from all across the GTA uniting on the beaches, for the second time in six weeks, just for the promises of some beautiful indie folk. And they say music scenes are dying.

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