14.06.2015 Mono Inc.

Blackfield Festival

Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen (Germany)

(Pentax K-5 with Tamron SP AF 17-50mm 2.8 XR Di II LD Asp IF and Sigma AF 50-150mm 2.8 EX DC APO HSM II)

A few years ago at Wacken Open Air, I was almost "annoyed" with constant advertisements for their then-current album “After The War”, which was accompanied by the opener “Arabia”. Today, I finally had the chance to see and hear a bit more of Mono Inc. Amidst flaming effects, the band, consisting of singer Martin Engler, his partner Katha Mia on drums, brother Carl Fornia on guitar, and Manuel Antoni on bass, blasted the oriental-sounding hookline towards the extremely large audience.
Judging by the fullness of the amphitheater, Mono Inc. were clearly the headliners of the day. To their credit, they truly offered a very audience-friendly show, constantly encouraging everyone to sing, clap, or jump along. The atmosphere remained excellent throughout as the band played through their broad but brief history. It must also be noted that they have produced a massive output, with a solid 8 albums in just 11 years. Midway through the set, all the band members were at the drums; Katha Mia had a small drum set placed at the front of the stage, while Martin Engler settled on the platform behind the main drum set. What followed was the usual drum battle, which, of course, the lady won.
The show continued with the Gary Moore cover “After The War”, until their biggest song “Voices Of Doom” from the eponymous 2009 album signaled the slow end of their performance after about an hour. Before the last song, Engler expressed his sadness that the festival would no longer take place in its current form, and fittingly, they then played “Tag X” from the latest album “Terlingua.”
In my view, it was a solid performance by a rock band, as I would classify Mono Inc. Their overall appearance may lean towards Gothic, but in my opinion, their music does not quite fit that category. Nevertheless, I felt thoroughly entertained. The atmosphere was outstanding throughout, and the musicians clearly enjoyed the show and interacting with the audience. However, I still have a feeling similar to after seeing Motörhead: It's good that I saw and heard it once, but I don't need to experience it again. There was simply too little variety for me. Well, quantity does not always mean quality.