OF MONSTERS AND MEN BRINGS THE MOUSE PARADE TO NEW YORK
BROOKLYN PARAMOUNT — BROOKLYN, NY
It’s hard to imagine having a bad time at a tour called THE MOUSE PARADE, but it’s just impossible when you know it’s Of Monsters and Men, the Icelandic Indie band performing their fourth studio album, All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade; a simply skipless 13-track feat of storytelling—and in another language, might I add!
Of Monsters and Men took the stage for their second night at the Brooklyn Paramount in New York City on November 2, 2025, and everything about it felt unique and intentional. The stage plot had drummer Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson on the side, the back of the stage adorned with umbrellas that lit up and rose and fell with the beat and mood of each song.
The set was concise and moved at the right pace. Opening the show was “Television Love”, also the opener to the album, which was followed by “Dream Team” before playing “King and Lionheart” from their 2011 debut album My Head is An Animal. The vocal harmony between lead singers Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson is breathtaking. We’ve all heard them before on the radio at some point between 2011 and 2013, but to witness it firsthand…let’s just say that I consider myself very lucky to have had the chance.
Despite dealing with some vocal challenges since the start of the tour last week in Toronto, Canada, Nanna sounded just as flawless live as on the recordings, and Þórhallsson is as emotive as ever. After playing “Alligator” from their third album Fever Dream; Nanna traded her glittery champagne electric guitar for a melodica to play “Human.”
At this point, New York received a special treat from the band—the live debut of “The Actor”, a hauntingly beautiful four-and-a-half-minute gut punch exploring themes of self-doubt and inadequacy.
“The Block” into “Mouse Parade” found the band leaving their marks on stage to form a circle in the center and singing acapella while the crowd was still and silent, bewitched by what looked like a summoning circle. Finally, one dedicated fan broke the palpable tension by shouting “I love you!” and the cheers erupted, hardly stopping for the rest of the night as the band headed into the final act filled with their heavyweights, starting off with “Dirty Paws” from their debut album, beloved by the casual and most dedicated fans alike. “Empire” is a testament to what makes music good; it can work in a tiny, intimate venue or a packed several-thousand capacity venue like the Paramount.
After “Styrofoam Cathedral”, a folk, escapist anthem, the stage went suspiciously quiet. It was near the end of the show, and though we all knew it was coming, the crowd absolutely lost it at the sound of one of the 2010’s most nostalgic hits. In a matter of seconds, the audience was a sea of iPhones and sobbing millennials singing their hearts out to“Little Talks”, the behemoth of a song that launched their commercial success back in 2011 and has since amassed nearly 1.3 billion streams on Spotify. It’s a really special song to witness live, especially if you lived through the grip that song had on those coming of age back then… after all we’re just 3,000 strangers with unique memories standing together nearly 15 years later, creating a new shared memory together—and at the end of the day, I think that’s what live music is all about.
Closing out the encore was “Fruit Bat.” Running over eight minutes, it’s one of the longest songs the band has ever released, and frankly, it’s not long enough. The song spends the latter half building up to a crescendo and says so much without saying anything at all. It’s the perfect closer to a near-perfect set.
After 15 years of playing together, the band is stronger than ever. THE MOUSE PARADE is a fantastic tour, with sleek production and a top-notch display of artistry.
