Monotonix

In November 2005 the Israeli group Monotonix came together in Tel Aviv after growing frustrated with the city’s existing music climate and resolved to overhaul the very nature of a rock concert. Singer Ami Shalev, guitarist Yonatan Gat, and drummer Ran Shimoni drew on the riff-driven sounds of Led Zeppelin, the Sonics, and Thin Lizzy to produce unvarnished, propulsive rock & roll. Before long they realized that aim locally by upending conventional notions of how such a show should unfold: the trio set up directly on the floor among the audience and converted each appearance into an unruly celebration, one so unruly that the electricity was frequently cut or officers arrived to disperse the crowd.

Barred from nearly every Tel Aviv club, the band left Israel to perform across the United States and Europe. Between 2006 and 2007 they completed more than 300 concerts worldwide, among them appearances at SXSW and a run supporting Silver Jews. Those travels cemented their identity as a group whose events are not merely observed but physically undergone. Monotonix gained notice for igniting both themselves and their gear, taking beverages from spectators and dousing themselves with the contents, and transforming performances into unrestrained, manic dance gatherings.

During 2007 they tracked their debut EP, Body Language, alongside Tim Green of the Fucking Champs; Drag City issued the recording in April 2008. The following year the trio delivered its first album, Where Were You When It Happened?, then launched an international tour by supporting Faith No More in Tel Aviv. In 2010 they paused their demanding schedule to work with Steve Albini, resulting in the 2011 full-length Not Yet.