Monotonix with Turbo Fruits at The Hideout

February 14, 4:57 PMChicago Live Music ExaminerAmanda Nyren

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Chicago Live Music Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Monotonix: picture this with more open flames.

I’m afraid I might soil my pants, I’m so excited to see Monotonix tomorrow night at The Hideout. Okay, so I just heard about this band on Tuesday and I’m not even that big of a hard rock/punk fan, but since listening to what’s streaming on the band’s MySpace page and reading about the guys’ insane stage antics, I have gotten seriously amped up for what will probably be one of the more intense Sunday nights of my life. You can have your Oscar parties.

In 2005, singer Ami Shalev, guitarist Yonatan Gat, and drummer Hagai Fershtman got together to redefine the rock show in their hometown Tel Aviv where, if “Don’t Mess With the Zohan” is an accurate cultural representation, club/dance DJs reign supreme. The guys quickly found themselves banned from most venues in Israel since local authorities didn’t exactly smile upon performing on the floor among the crowd, lighting stuff on fire, and stealing drinks (often starting fights in the process) from audience members to put said fires out. In 2006, more or less exiled from the motherland, the band started touring the U.S. and Europe, getting a lot of attention for putting on shows that you experience, rather than watch.

The close confines of The Hideout should help make this concert all the more volatile. Opening act Turbo Fruits warms things up with Kinks-esque neo-surf/garage rock. Show starts at 9 p.m.; $12 at the door.