Monotonix

Israeli punks Monotonix have made a real name for themselves in a real short space of time. Word of mouth has spread over their utterly crazed and intense live performances. Performance being the appropriate word as the band do everything to overturn the conventions of what makes a live show entertaining. The band formed in 2005 and according to guitarist Yonatan Gat, “we all played in different bands in Tel-Aviv and always wanted to do something together. At one point it seemed like the right time.” Joining Yonatan for the ride is singer Ami Shalev and drummer Ran Shimoni.

Being a punk rock band from Israel has its advantages as Yonatan explains, “we catch people off guard. A band from Tel-Aviv is just what we are. We are different in a large part because we are Israeli, our mentality is different, for better and for worse. Our live performance is very Israeli.” It wasn’t hard for the band to gain attention in Tel-Aviv with their wild shows. Rock ‘n’ roll as purveyed by Monotonix doesn’t really exist in the conservative Israeli scene. “Soft rock and seated audiences eating humus”, is Yonatan’s withering description.

Their own shows would turn into wild parties, the power would get cut and the police were called. Soon Monotonix needed a new challenge - the rest of the world beckoned. Touring means a lot to the band including being able to, “play a lot of shows, getting to know different cultures and sleeping on floors.” The USA and Europe followed with the band wowing audiences with their legendary shows becoming even more legendary in the process. Incidents includes the flying disco balls, broken bones, nakedness, fire and much more mayhem.

Monotonix are no novelty act though. They might act like maniacs but they take what they do seriously. They play 200 shows a year, rehearse all the time and live the Monotonix experience full time. Giving the audience a good time is what good rock ‘n’ roll should be all about because as Yonatan says, “it's not about sitting on your arse, staring at your shoes or rubbing your chin.”

Monotonix’s main worries include getting past the increasing indie music press hype that surrounds them and proving to people they are a real band. They have made a start already with the Tim (Fucking Champs) Green produced mini album ‘Body Language’. It is full of well written little hard rock nuggets with garage rocking post-punk edge. ‘Body Language’ is a vital and fun way to spend twenty minutes, an attempt to reproduce the band’s live dynamics. It ultimately fails in its attempt but succeeds in showing the band’s chops don’t have to be accompanied by sweat drenched and lunacy. The unihibited world of Monotonix is a real tonic to the shallow noise that surrounds them.