Monster Magnet Spine of God 20th Aniversary Tour
The Camden Ballroom is one of the more famous venues in London. The walls are layered in photographs and posters of the shows that has made the venue famous worldwide with appearances of too many A-list bands to name. If we went back 10 years in time then maybe Monster Magnet would be on that list, having featured on the first Matrix soundtrack and having toured with Metallica, Marilyn Manson and Aerosmith. Their first gold album Powertrip was released in 1998 and raised them to the highest standard.
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Since then they have slowly slipped away from the spotlight, failing to record another hit that could claim as much airtime as Negasonic Teenage Warhead and I was unsure of what I was letting myself in for. My worry continued for a few hours before the gig began, as I remained the youngest person in the room at the ripe old age of 28 with the exception of one young girl who had clearly been dragged to the gig by her father. I took my position in the photographers pit and waited patiently for the band to come on stage, beer in one hand and camera in the other when the stagehands came out and attached the set list to the floor of the stage in front of me. It took me back as there was very little mention of those golden oldies and a focus on the new music, a confidence in the new material. As the band came on stage and in the first three songs I could see why.
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As a photographer at gigs you generally only get the first three songs to take your photographs. No one wants someone with a camera running up and down at the front blocking their view so its important to get all your shots and get out before someone throws something at you. The same can be said for the bands themselves, three songs to make your mark and set the tone for the gig to come. I've been to countless gigs over the years and I can safely say that within those three songs I can have a very good idea of the opinion I'll have of the band an hour later, the opening statement is important. After three songs of Monster Magnet I felt 16 again, these guys are one of those bands who just don't age. The sound was incredible and I'm not coming to that conclusion because I was less than two feet away from the speaker.
My headline tracks of the night were Medicine which is a classic rock song from the earlier years and Tractor, a song that defines the sound of Monster Magnet in my mind but I was impressed with the set list as a whole. The new album wont be rising them to previous greatness, but for the fans it's a great record and if your into A Perfect Circle or classic rock of any branding, I'd add a couple of Monster magnet tracks to your playlist and try them on for size.
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Setlist:
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Pill Shovel
Medicine
Nod Scene
Black Mastermind
Zodiac Lung
Spine of God
Snake Dance
Sin's A Good Man's Brother
Ozium
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Encore:
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Lord 13
Murder
25 Longhair
Tractor
Freak Shop USA
To view all photos taken during this set click here. There are 19 available.