Of Monsters and Men: The 2026 Mouse Parade Tour

July 14, 2026 – Stir Cove – Council Bluffs, IA

It was a hot night on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, but the heat was worth it because Of Monsters and Men brought their 2026 Mouse Parade Tour to Stir Cove with opener August Ponthier.

Ponthier kicked off the show, and she was great. I had never heard of her before this, but once she started singing, I was an instant fan. She was joined onstage by a fellow female guitar player, and even though there was a large crowd at Stir Cove, the set still felt intimate.

Ponthier is an indie folk singer-songwriter originally from Allen, Texas. After studying jazz at the University of North Texas, they moved to Brooklyn in 2017 and eventually started building a following online through covers, original songs, and creative videos. Their debut EP, Faking My Own Death, came out in 2021, followed by Shaking Hands With Elvis in 2022 and Breaking the Fourth Wall in 2024.

Their debut full-length album, Everywhere Isn’t Texas, was released in February 2026, and it is definitely worth checking out. Ponthier has one of those voices that grabs your attention right away. It is warm, emotional, and unique, and it made the opening set feel really special.

They currently have over 1.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and after seeing them live, it is easy to understand why. It was a fantastic way to start the night.

After a brief intermission, it was time for Of Monsters and Men.

I have to admit, I had been looking forward to this set since the show was announced because I love their music. This was my first time seeing them live, and they absolutely delivered.

Of Monsters and Men is an Icelandic indie folk and rock band formed in Garðabær in 2010. The band consists of Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, Ragnar Þórhallsson, Brynjar Leifsson, Kristján Páll Kristjánsson, and Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson.

The band first broke through internationally with their 2011 single “Little Talks,” which became a huge hit and reached the top 10 in several countries. Their debut album, My Head Is an Animal, helped introduce their big, emotional, folk-inspired sound to a worldwide audience.

Since then, they have released four studio albums: My Head Is an Animal, Beneath the Skin, Fever Dream, and All Is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade. Over the years, their music has appeared in films, television shows, trailers, and major festivals, and they became the first Icelandic group to reach one billion streams on Spotify.

They have also earned major recognition, including winning Músíktilraunir, Iceland’s annual Battle of the Bands, in 2010 and the European Border Breakers Award in 2013. Their third album, Fever Dream, reached number one on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart, and their newest album, All Is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade, shows that the band is still creating music that feels fresh, emotional, and cinematic.

When Of Monsters and Men took the stage at Stir Cove, it felt like the crowd had been waiting all night for that moment. Despite the heat, the band came out with great energy and sounded amazing from the start.

Nanna and Raggi’s voices sounded incredible together, and the full band brought so much life to the songs. There is something really powerful about hearing their music outdoors, especially as the night went on. Their songs already have such a wide-open, atmospheric feeling, and hearing them under the sky at Stir Cove made everything feel even bigger.

The band looked and sounded great, and the set had a perfect mix of energy, emotion, and that signature Of Monsters and Men sound. Their music can feel massive one moment and delicate the next, and that balance came through beautifully live.

They currently have over 9.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and their latest album, All Is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade, is fantastic. The new songs fit right alongside the older favorites, and the crowd seemed to be locked in the whole night.

This was my first time finally getting to experience Of Monsters and Men live, and I was so thankful I did. They were worth the wait.

August Ponthier gave the night a beautiful and intimate start, and Of Monsters and Men turned a hot summer night in Council Bluffs into something really special.

If you ever get the chance to see them live, make sure you do.

Of Monsters and Men Setlist: