Mono @ Turbina, Budapest, 2025.11.24.

You would think that it is kind of difficult to write anything new about a Mono show. I mean, the band’s been touring Europe for over 20 years now. This time was, if my archives are correct, the ninth time they visited Hungary (well, if we cheat a bit and add the 2017 show of Behind The Shadow Drops, guitarist and band leader Taka‘s solo project, we can make it ten) and I went to see them each and every time. The first time was back in 2003, during one of their very first international tours, right after the release of their classic 2nd album, One Step More And You Die and it took place in a tiny, long gone joint called Est Café. They were coming to Europe once or twice every year after that, but for some reason, Budapest was missing from the tour schedules for quite some time and their next show here only happened in 2010. And by that time, they already became one of the biggest bands of the post-rock scene, so they obviously played at a much bigger venue then, and fortunately, after that, Budapest became a regular stop for the band (with them playing here in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2023). So, it was a lot of shows.

Mono in Budapest, 2003

And, as I said, one would really think that all was said about Mono shows that is there to say, but actually they still manage to surprise audiences, even after so many years and so many gigs. This time it was especially looking forward to see them as their latest album was one of their strongest. They had a very characteristic sound from the beginning of their career, but over the years it has developed and went thru different phases. For a while, they drifted towards music that was more like a soundtrack, with heavy use of symphonic elements, but later returned to the more typical, straightforward post-rock territories. But around the same time, they also started to experiment with new things. 2019’s Nowhere Now Here featured some vocals by bassist Tamaki (which was a first for the otherwise fully instrumental band), while the opening track of 2021’s Pilgrimage Of The Soul called Riptide was a departure from their usual sound, almost crossing over to metal territories. The rest of that album though kind of lost pace and, in my opinion at least, was not as strong as their other recent works. Last year’s Oath however featured nothing experimental, nothing new, nothing surprising, it was “just” pure, typical Mono. But it delivered the very best of what the band can offer. I kinda felt that they finally came full circle, settling for the essential Mono sound, that it a summary of their long career and everything they have done during these past 20+ years.

And the concert itself felt exactly the same. There wasn’t anything new, nothing that I haven’t seen from them before, it was just a very typical Mono show, but still, it was one of the best I have ever seen. It started with Run On, the new album’s longest track and then they built up tension step by step until the chaotic feedback explosion at the end of Sorrow, an excellent track off their Nowhere Now Here album. And then we slowed down again with Pure As Snow and they continued the roller coaster ride, taking the audience thru everything, from the beautifully calm and peaceful to the epic, loud and noisy parts vast repertoire. Their original drummer left in 2017 and Dham, the “new guy” joined them the following year and by now he also became an essential, vital part of the group, which had the four musicians works as one, in perfect synth and harmony. Of course they were like this during most of the shows I have seen, but somehow now even this link between them felt deeper and this was also a part of why, even though they have been around for well over 20 years, I felt that it is now that they really reached their full potential.

So, yeah, they can show something new, even after so many years.

Their support was a French guy this time, called Nicolas Veroncastel, who started out with melancholic piano songs, switched to acoustic guitar halfway through, was joined by another guitarist at one point and then ended his set with dancey disco music. And the venue was new for Mono, but it fit them very well: it was a spot called Turbina with an approx. 400 hall and the band nearly filled it up to capacity. Really, it was simply a flawless night. Check the photos below that hopefully reflect the show’s atmosphere and if you are looking for the setlist, scroll down a bit more.