The Monochrome Set at the Bowery Ballroom

Bid

Formed in 1976 in London, England, a band called the B-Sides split in 1978. Two members launched Adam & the Ants and two other members formed the Monochrome Set later that same year. Adam & the Ants enjoyed international success as a founding band in the fledgling punk rock movement, but the Monochrome Set seldom achieved more than a cult audience and a few short-term radio plays. In 1985, facing declining audiences, the Monochrome Set dissolved. Vocalist Ganesh "Bid" Sechadri reformed the band in 1990 and led it until 1998. In 1998, Bid started a studio project, Scarlet's Well, which became a live band in 2004 and ended in 2010 after seven albums. After Scarlet's Well, Bid revived the Monochrome Set yet again, recording five more albums. The band presently consists of Bid, keyboardist John Paul Moran, bassist Andy Warren, and drummer Mike Urban. The Monochrome Set celebrated its 40th anniversary by releasing its 14th and most recent studio album, Maisieworld, and a retrospective box set, The Monochrome Set 1979–1985: Complete Recordings, on February 9, 2018.

At the Bowery Ballroom tonight, the Monochrome Set performed a set loaded with its 1980s catalogue, featuring skittering vocal melodies, jaunty rhythms, and a very British approach to pop. Recent tours featured a dual guitar sound, but this tour featured a keyboard player instead of a second guitarist. As a result, the set featured less jangly guitar work in favor of a fuller, rolling organ sound, even when that instrument was mixed so softly that the effect was more subconscious than bold-faced. Minor-chord guitar bridges and warbly vocals proliferated, swimming in a curious mix of calming presence and fidgety rhythms. More often than not, the Monochrome Set framed its edgy music much like modern indie bands, but with double the energy and sophistication.

Setlist:

1. The Monochrome Set
2. The Jet Set Junta
3. Alphaville
4. Oh, Yes, I'm Going to Be in Your Dreams Tonight
5. The Ruling Class
6. I Feel Fine (Really)
7. B-I-D Spells Bid
8. The Mating Game
9. Walking with the Beast
10. Maisieworld
11. Jack
12. LSD
13. Mrs Robot
14. Cowboy Country
15. The Z Train
16. Love Goes Down the Drain
17. Eine Symphonie Des Grauens