Toronto – Israeli troublemakers Monotonix still manage to surprise me, despite the fact that I have been in attendance for nearly all their Toronto shows.
As the band played an early Saturday night set at Sneaky Dee’s, I wondered if it was the only venue left in the city willing to have them back.
Last time at Dee’s most of the show was played in the air with the audience holding up the entire band and an encore that took place outside with the cops looking on.
Thankfully, the crowd seemed a little more tame than the audience at their last show at Wrongbar. They started at the front of the Dee’s stage, but it was only a matter of time before they were surrounded by an enthusiastic group. Singer Ami Shalev was soon crowd surfing and dancing with girls on his shoulders.
Monotonix played in every available space, pushing the drums and crowd further back into the bar until there was no place to go but the men’s lavatory. I feared for everything while I was trapped in a stall with a fellow photographer and Shalev climbing over us. Afterward, some pals pointed out the germs and how gross it must’ve been. But at the time my only concern was for my camera because sweat and beer were being sprayed and dripping from every direction.
Eventually, Monotonix ended up on top of the bar and back near the stage for the finale. A few members of the crowd, reminiscing of a simpler time, screamed for the band to go outside, but the band declined because after all, it was cold.