Mono and World's End Girlfriend

Last week we were lucky enough to witness the calming destruction that was Mono live when they played at The Zoo in Brisbane, what a great gig.

We arrived just as World's End Girlfriend began his lap top performance with guitar. Seated in the middle of the stage at a table overloaded with said lap top, guitar effects, mixers and other such electronica which contained his pre-recorded music, Katsuhiko Maeda occassionally played along to the atmospheric soundscapes he had prepared earlier. It was a nice performance of some very interesting music - but I'm a bit of an old school "cause and effect" type of guy and like to see my live music actually played live; this has always been my problem with lap top performances. So for me although I found the music to be very interesting and complex, and in its own right quite impressive, I felt that the performance lacked something.

However, Mono took the stage and began by lulling the audience with a soft and gentle classical introduction which soon erupted into sonic mayhem. Played live this constant movement between the soothing and the explosive, which is what much of the post rock genre and Mono is all about, is very effective. The girl next to me (we were very near to the stage and the speakers) was constantly being shocked by the level of volume and was covering her head with her hands, all rather amusing. My ears were ringing for days, but it was an excellent performance. Although there was no interaction between the band and the audience, Mono let the behemoth that is their music speak for itself. Woo Hoo!! I say.


Mono - Finlandia

World's End Girlfriend - Caroling Hellwalker


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