There are two important questions that must be answered upon attending one’s first Monotonix show. Can the performance live up to the hype? And can the music live up to the performance?
Marc Brubaker photo
Happily, in this case, it’s a yes and yes. Monotonix got just as crazy Saturday night at Super Happy Fun Land as their reputation promised. The one notable exception was perhaps the lack of pyrotechnic shenanigans the group is known for, but no one was complaining. Also, the cops didn’t show up, and, again, no complaining.

Still, drums were played aloft the shoulders of the crowd, lead singer Ami Shalev’s bare backside mooned the masses and a giant stuffed frog was sodomized from the loft space above the restrooms. Yes, they got crazy.

More surprisingly, Monotonix got crazy with a certain agility and smoothness that was hardly expected. Yes, Shalev thrashed and flung his half-naked body recklessly into the moshing crowd, but he also did it without falling over or breaking any noses. (And all while slickly coated in sweat and Lone Star.)

Just how the charismatically creepy frontman managed to climb atop the crowd, take a seat on a stool being shakily held six feet above ground and pound the base drum without missing a beat is a point for speculation. This was musical acrobatics at their best.

And the band’s ability to completely disregard convention and play a mini-set in the middle of the makeshift pit, crammed against the walls of the men’s bathroom and, yes, even running wildly down the Polk Street sidewalk was seriously good. In fact, Monotonix probably deserves the award for most mobile set ever. Watching them play qualifies as an aerobic workout.

The best thing, however, about a Monotonix show has got to be the crowd. The synergy and camaraderie with the fans is unique and intense. The fans slam against one another, hoist one another into the air and run from one corner of the venue to the other, following the music and smiling madly all the way. They work for it and they work together.

This is all while swapping booze, sweat and God knows what else. Yes, it’s a little gross. It’s also simultaneously hilarious and invigorating.

But now on to the music. Monotonix plays pure, unadulterated garage rock, and it plays it well. It plays it well enough to impress even the patrons who didn’t come to get body-slammed.

Making the music count is not an easy thing to do when the performance rivals the very best of shock-rockers (think Ozzy and Iggy), but it does it. And, while Monotonix probably has room for growth, it definitely deserves credit for its driving riffs, rhythmic beats and powerful vocals. Looking beyond the antics, these are talented musicians who can channel the 1970s in way that fully engaging.

So, yes, a Monotonix show does live up to its promise. It’s fun, it’s raw, it’s Borat plus a Jew-fro and electric guitar. And, who doesn't love that?

As a side note: Locally based openers Golden Axe killed it. An instrumental metal duo make head-banging white guys look cool again. In Houston. Enough said.