We saw Chicago’s Monakr open up for Danish headliner Mew at Williamsburg Music Hall August 4, 2017. They were at Bowery Ballroom the night before. Monakr are singer songwriter Matthew Santos, Daniel Brunelle (Gemini Club), and Hey Champ‘ Saam Hagshens and Jonathan Marks. Together they sound amazing. Santos, who we have been following for about 4 years, is a Jeff Buckley kindred spirit, whose voice is relentlessly beautiful and intoxicating. His vocal range stops you in your tracks begging you to listen to every pause, every note.
Santos has covered Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” at some of his solo sets, and now with Monakr, covering Massive Attack’s “Teardrop”. Stunning! Original songs: “Ophelia”, “Calling Out” and “Resurrection” are equally outstanding with added muscularity and electronics that frees Matthew up to move more on stage then we have seen during solo sets. After the concert we chatted briefly – the band said they would be back in the NYC area before the end of the year. For now they are continuing their long US leg of the tour with Mew, heading to Philly and Mass next.