The band's break came when they won Músiktilraunir, an annual Icelandic battle of the bands competition. "We just kind of...won. We weren't expecting it at all," says co-vocalist and guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, with disarming honesty. The worldwide release of debut album My Head Is an Animal followed in 2012, propelling the band to success.
Front of House engineer Richie Dempsey has been working with Of Monsters and Men for almost a year. Already having toured Europe, Japan, the USA and Asia, Sennheiser G3 in-ear monitoring and evolution series microphones are a major part of the band's live inventory.
"Over the past few years I had used an e 945 with various vocalists - Isabelle Campbell, Arab Strap, Emma Pollock, Idlewild and others," says Dempsey. "I've always really liked the 945 - it sounds really natural, the clarity is great and you can get a good vocal level. If you've got any quiet vocal parts you can get that bit more gain on it, you can push it up a bit more without it sounding pushed.
"I bought a 945 some time ago and if there was any chance I could use it, I did. It made sense to try it with Of Monsters and Men - they like it because it sounds good in their in-ears and keeps out much of the spill from the drums and backline instruments."
Dempsey is also using wired Sennheiser microphones on the band's instruments and backline, including e 904s and an e 901 on the drum kit, a 604 and an MD 421 on the bass guitar amplifier and swapping between an e 609 on the guitar amp.
"Obviously for me the main thing is that the band and I have to be happy," he says. "They are very pleased with the sound. I like Sennheiser microphones - they are always the first ones I go to. They are great for quiet vocalists, if they are singing right on top of the mic there's no problem. The ability to cope with that makes my life a lot easier."
(Jim Evans)
