Monotonix – Cargo, London 06/03/11

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Photos by Anika Mottershaw

Barred from venues from Tel Aviv to Minehead, Monotonix are no strangers to the untimely curtailment of their anarchic, unpredictable live shows. Eschewing the stage to play in the midst of their audience, their chaotic antics and willful disregard for personal safety have garnered them a devoted fanbase, but have often seen them at odds with the guys who have to deal with the wreckage afterwards- and tonight, the notorious Israeli punks sadly prove too much for their hosts to handle.

The set begins promisingly enough, with Yonatan Gat shredding his guitar at volumes audible at Old Street Station and bearded mentalist Ami Shalev flinging himself (and several bottles of water) at the audience with reckless abandon. The crowd are energetic but good-natured; the band looks prepared to make this a gig to remember and all seems well with the world.

But it isn’t long before things started taking a turn for the disastrous. A key element of any Monotonix show is their migration from the front of the crowd to places venue organisers would probably prefer them not to go, but over-enthusiastic elements in the crowd prevent the band from actually moving anywhere. Several of the more safety-conscious/delicate punters, realising an elevated vantage point will protect them from the insanity below clambour on stage, much to the chagrin of security.

Kit is misappropriated by audience members, and a monitor comes precariously close to being smashed on the floor. It is perhaps inevitable that the Cargo – who by some bewildering oversight haven’t realised that hosting one of the world’s most infamous live bands is an invitation to having their venue wrecked – take the decision to shut down the PA before thirty minutes is up.

And that is that: The drum kit is duly disassembled and dispersed round the audience, the band takes time to shake hands and provide sweaty manhugs, and thus ends one of the most scintillating live bands ever to hit the stage.

It isn’t quite the send-off we’d hoped for, but certainly a fitting one.