The rendezvous for the Greek fans of psychedelic/space/prog stoner rock was set for the evening of February 4th at the Ground Stage of Gazarte in Athens. The reason was the scheduled Monkey3 concert, as their “Welcome to the Machine” tour was making some stops in Greece. The Swiss spaceship was about to land — and of course, Myth of Rock couldn’t stay away. We were there at the appointed meeting to encounter the astronauts of Monkey3. The landing was introduced by Greece’s own Urstaat. So, let’s take a look at what went down on that memorable night!
by Dimitris Zacharopoulos
photos by Iro Kalligeri (@irokalligeriphotography)
The doors opened right on time at 8:30 p.m., but at that moment only a handful of truly devoted fans had gathered outside Gazarte. We stepped into the venue immediately to get ready for the live coverage, and it was great to see more followers of the genre gradually arriving. In the end, the concert space wasn’t completely packed, but there were certainly enough people there to properly support the bands on the bill.
As mentioned earlier, the event kicked off with Urstaat, a post-metal/sludge band from Athens that released its debut album, “Autophagia”, just a few months ago. Without unnecessary talk, the four musicians stepped onto the stage, and we immediately dived into their set. They were completely focused on what they were doing — 100% committed to delivering their music — serious, humble and fully immersed in their craft. Urstaat create soundscapes. They generate emotions, build atmospheres, transmit thoughts, and construct entire cities through their music. Their sound is immersive, deep, heavily charged with emotion, and their compositions instrumental- yet they speak directly to the listener’s soul, trapping you inside unique worlds. With a powerful and crystal-clear sound, the quartet mesmerized us and made us feel something truly special. Naturally, they focused on material from their debut album — and judging by what I experienced live, it’s a release that deserves serious attention. That night, Urstaat surely gained quite a few new followers and opened the evening in the best possible way for the headliners.
Around 10:30, Monkey3’s spaceship appeared on the horizon, inspiring awe and genuine excitement. We all became witnesses to something unique — almost metaphysical — as the space travelers set foot on Earth. With psychedelic, futuristic visuals projected behind them, the four musicians unfolded their heavy psychedelic/space/prog rock epics before us. Having released their masterpiece seventh album, “Welcome to the Machine”, exactly two years ago, Monkey3 built much of their set around it, while also weaving in selections from across their entire career. The result was a concert that lasted nearly two hours — and it felt completely fulfilling from start to finish. Technically speaking, the sound was flawless, allowing the band to truly shine with their exceptional musicianship and tight chemistry. Since we’re talking about technical aspects, I should mention that the lighting was somewhat problematic. There were plenty of lights, but they mostly illuminated the stage rather than the musicians themselves. Still, everything we saw and heard was remarkable. Before us stood a band that gave absolutely everything to take us on a journey to distant, breathtaking corners of the universe. Their space rock pulled us in like a giant magnetic force, psychedelic rock blended perfectly with heavy/stoner elements and every composition carried a clear progressive rock dimension. Add to that the visual projections and audio samples from films — including excerpts from “2001: A Space Odyssey” — and the concert took on a truly cinematic quality. Monkey3 guided us on a fantastic voyage among the stars aboard their spaceship. We lived stunning moments, exploring the far reaches of the cosmos. What can one even say about the incredible guitar and keyboard themes and solos, the thunderous bass, the astonishing drum rolls? In the end, the spaceship brought us safely back to Athens, triumphantly concluding this intense interstellar journey. It was a kaleidoscopic, chaotic, otherworldly show that will remain forever etched in our consciousness.
The concert came to an end after a lengthy encore, with the band bidding farewell in awe of the crowd, while we applauded endlessly. The Swiss musicians didn’t say a single word throughout the entire show — and they didn’t need to. Where others scream, or rely on paint, masks and fake blood to create an impression, Monkey3 speak through musical notes alone. And they have so much to say.
