Pop Break Live: Of Monsters and Men ‘The Mouse Parade Tour’ at The Met in Philaelphia on November 4, 2025
Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men played The Met in Philadelphia on 11/4. They are touring in support of their critically acclaimed album All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade, released on October 17. The band defined the 2010’s with their unique folk rock sound and helped shape the indie-folk landscape. There is no doubt on their impact in this genre.
The band played a 18-song set in which 10 of those songs were new. That doesn’t always fare well at shows and you wind up with fans being disappointed but this was not the case with this Philly audience. On the contrary, I actually heard people screaming out the names of songs from their new album, hoping they’d play them. I’m not surprised at that as it’s been six years since their last album and five years since their last U.S tour.
All is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade is a fantastic album. The band has evolved but they still incorporate those signature catchy harmonious melodies, sing along anthems and storytelling in their songs. The lighting design and visuals during the night was an integral part of the show’s atmosphere and ran the gamut of vibrant colors to “edgy” moody lighting that really was breathtaking at times.
They opened the show with “Television”. They were only three songs in and already had the crowd clapping along on the song “King and Lionheart.” This was such an appreciative audience. There were a lot of new songs that really stood out. They played back to back heartbreakers, “The Actor” followed by “The Block,” which led into “Mouse Parade.” It was stunning. Other standouts were “Tuna in a Can,” which had a very catchy chorus and the anthemic “Ordinary Creature.” The audience sang the last verse on that one.
Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson’s harmonies were breathtaking at times. They were backed by a five-piece band. They played their monster hit “Little Talks” and fan favorite “Dirty Paws,” both off their debut album, My Head is an Animal, which sold over two million copies. “Crystals” from their second studio album got a great response from the crowd. A real stunner was the acoustic “The End.” You could literally hear a pin drop.
Raggi told the Philly audience that they were the first people to play their music and thanked them. I remember hearing them the first time on Radio 104.5 when they debuted “Little Talks” and I knew it would take off. WXPN also had a big part in getting their music out. You could tell the band were humbled and appreciative to perform where it kind of all started. The band previously has credited them both with being a crucial launchpad for their success in the U.S.
There was some fun banter with the crowd during the show when a fan “gifted” them with a blown up picture of the fan’s dog. Also fans in the front row must have been thrilled when Nanna jumped into the pit at the end of a song and went the whole length of the barrier as fans snapped shots and reached out to her.
The band encored with “Fruitbat.” What a great memorable night for the fans and the band.
