Live Music Review

After a period of absence from the musical scene, Monkey Rope are back and, something is telling Hybridlab that they are back for good. We had the chance to catch them at an acoustic night at the Red Lion pub in Stoke Newington. Originally meant as a gathering for friends of the band the night contradicted even the band’s modest expectations.

Unusually for Monkey the venue had a cosy atmosphere with soft lighting and candles, this set the scene for the sound of acoustic and an electric guitar overlaid with James and Dan McKean’s extraordinary voices. The gig gave us a clear idea of where the band are heading musically over the next months and provided an opportunity to hear some of their more recent songs. Whilst we love all their tracks we couldn’t help single out our favourites. ‘Splintering Ship’ washed us along with the sounds of harmonica its beautiful lyrics. ‘Cinematic’, a magnificently melodic song, was a solo performance by Dan on guitar. Another nostalgic track was ‘Somewhere at the End of the World’ using James’s incredible voice to carry us away. And last but certainly not least, ‘Another Day Closer’, revived us with its vivid and lively rhythm. For those who don’t want to leave everything to the imagination, Monkey Rope are seriously thinking of making it a regular acoustic gig.