It started with a single acoustic guitar playing against a shimmery background of electric guitar and keyboard, drifting through the expectant crowd as the seven live members of Of Monsters and Men stood on stage. The opening song, Dirty Paws, gradually got into stride, with lead-man Ragnar and lead-woman Nanna’s mellifluous voices running together in harmony. The song broke into a run, as the footstomp and head-shake inducing rhythm section made their entrance in thunderous fashion. The dreamy lyrics perfectly suited the green surroundings and the rising tree-covered mountains around the stage. It almost seemed like the band had found a second home outside Iceland, such was the match.

The next song had the acoustic guitar melody flowing like a clear stream through the glacial-like background of the guitars, before the drums kicked in and took the song away with the bass following suit. The trumpet, half-triumphant and half-mournful, entered for the first time and stole the melody away. Rather than sweeping the audience off their feet like a high energy rock band, the Icelandic group took their time to woo the crowd, gently lulling the crowd and immersing them in the magic of the band’s sound before leading them to the dance.

The band continued as gently as they began, with the next song’s lone female vocals being trembling softly as the twin accoustic guitars caress and support it with melody. The accordion is brought in hand-in-hand with the drum’s rhythm, letting the crowd settle into swaying. As with the song before, the crowd was heartily involved in the chorus. It’s then that the rain started falling. But instead of dampening the mood, it seemed to only invigorate the dancers as the band launched into the higher energy ‘Mountain Sounds’. A sense of beautiful peace and belonging had descended on the crowd, matched only by the smiles of the band.

‘Your Bones’ followed, with the wordless chorus gently swelling out of the crowd until it matched the band for sound. It’s followed by a thumping, dancing number dominated by bass and drums as it was closed out by the warm tones of the warbling trumpet. As the set continued, mist began to drift across the mountains around the stage, only adding to the atmosphere and matching the magic of the lyrics. The set closed with the giant sing-along in the rain, to the delighted smiles of not only the punters but also the grateful band.