It Gets So Hot with MUNA in London

It’s the hottest day of the year in London. After spending a few hours desperately hiding in the shade of St James Park, I was now standing in Heaven nightclub. I’m here to see MUNA for the first of their three album release shows. The show is, of course, completely sold out and if that alone doesn’t make you feel a bit warm, the venue just so happens to be situated in the arches below Charing Cross Station. So, as you can imagine, during a heatwave, it really does get so hot.

But, if there’s one place I don’t mind getting a little sweaty, it’s at a MUNA gig. 

For much of the audience, this show has been a long time coming. MUNA’s fourth studio album, Dancing On The Wall, dropped earlier last month on 8th May and came 4 years after their last one, the self-titled MUNA.

The album weaves through feelings of joy and desire, contrasted by despair and longing. It features their signature synth pop sound but with a darker, more rebellious undertone than in their previous works. It is also the most consistently upbeat album of theirs yet, which the band revealed was “definitely intentional” and designed with the live shows in mind. 

“Push the BPM [beats per minute] and make things feel good. You get reinforced in the show. People respond differently to a faster BPM than they do a slow one,” said Josette Maskin, the band’s guitarist. 

For these album release shows, the band played the record front-to-back each night. Where other artists often play stripped-back sets for these types of shows, MUNA are not one to do things by halves. They performed every song as a full live band; the only way to listen to such energetic, danceable tracks, which is exactly what the band had set out to do. 

The record kicks off with ‘It Gets So Hot’, which seems like an apt way to start the show in sunny London. They are scheduled to go on a full tour across Europe and North America later this year and I can only hope that they keep this track as the opener. It’s the perfect beginning with its rhythmic, repetitive melody building up to a dance-pop instrumental so that, by the end of the song, it has everyone jumping up and down. 

Lead single and title track ‘Dancing On The Wall’ came bouncing in next and there was not one person who didn’t know every word. It’s always nice to know you’re not the only one who has been playing that one song on repeat since its release. The track is lively yet details the feeling of being stuck in a toxic cycle with someone. Live, all of that frustrated emotion of the song seems to melt away, and the dance-pop, fun spirit takes over. 

This feeling carries over into ‘Eastside Girls’, the album’s latest single. It’s an edgy song, littered with references to LA and a bridge that has been likened to Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’. It has a pulsating beat that makes you want to strut around in high heels. Which, I imagine, is how MUNA wants you to feel when you listen to their music. Again, this translates effortlessly into their live performance.

It leads well onto ‘Wannabeher’, another of the album’s singles where the song’s narrator is grappling with the confusion of knowing whether she’d like to be the girl that she’s singing about, or be with that girl. Either way, it’s another powerful dark-pop track that brings an edge to their show.

‘On Call’ is sonically the most like their last album; it wouldn’t feel out of place next to tracks like ‘Anything But Me’. And, much like that song, it is incredibly danceable, keeping the spirits up in the room.

The band lowers the tempo slightly for ‘So What’. It still follows their electropop sound, but feels softer and more vulnerable. Coming halfway through the record, which has so far been full of relentless vigor, it offers a moment to breathe and reflect. This crosses right over into the live show too, because after dancing energetically for the first 5 songs, we all needed a little breather. In spite of the lowered energy in this track, the band were still able to provide a captivating performance.

On ‘Big Stick’, the band gets political, which is not unusual for them, but they have never been so direct. Before playing the song, they thanked the crowd and their fanbase for allowing them to make this kind of music; for giving them the space to speak up and not be put off by it. The track is fast-paced, reeling off ways in which high powers, likely politicians and big corporations, are able to manipulate us. I’ll be honest, it’s hard to keep up with the lyrics on this one but that doesn’t matter since the power behind the song is conveyed so well.

For the audience, ‘Mary Jane’ seemed to be on par with ‘Dancing On The Wall’, with a similar electricity pulsing throughout the room. Or maybe that was just me being biased as I, hand on heart, think it’s the best one. It has synths, a groovy bass, and Katie Gavin’s full vocal range; everything you want from a MUNA track.

‘Girl’s Girl’ is another electropop song with a bit of wordplay. It takes the trendy term for women that support other women, and flips it to refer to a queer girl who dates a lot of girls. It’s a tongue-in-cheek track, with sarcasm that would be appreciated by the audience in London.  

The final two tracks of the record, ‘Why Do I Get A Good Feeling’ and ‘Buzzkiller’ adopt a very different sound. The first still retains a fast tempo, but has an ambivalence to it, like being in a room while your mind is elsewhere. ‘Buzzkiller’ is the perfect choice to close out the record and would’ve felt out of place anywhere else on the tracklist. It’s the most apparent in its emotions, and the slower pace, combined with the violins, amplifies that. As they play this song in London, Katie sits down, looking thoughtful yet alone; reflecting the song’s mood. She’s so connected to the feeling on stage that I hear a voice in the crowd remark, ‘Someone should give her a hug.’

While we all would’ve gone home perfectly content after this, as mentioned, the band never does things half-heartedly. They didn’t leave without treating us to not one, not two, but eight other songs in their discography. From big streamers like ‘Stayaway’ and ‘Number One Fan’ that featured on their sophomore album, Saves The World, to ‘What I Want’, ‘Anything But Me’ and the hugely successful ‘Silk Chiffon’, it was the perfect blend of classic MUNA tracks, serving as a greatest hits section to close out the night. They even turned the clock back to their first ever album, About U, playing queer anthem ‘I Know A Place’ and the beloved fan favourite, ‘Promise’. Don’t say they never gave us anything. 

Dancing On The Wall feels like it’s on the precipice of a huge cultural moment, just waiting for a wider audience to tune in. Once they do, there’s no going back; the self-proclaimed ‘best band in the world’ are about to be the biggest too and their live show proved that to be true.

It’s the hottest day of the year in London. After spending a few hours desperately hiding in the shade of St James Park, I was now standing in Heaven nightclub. I’m here to see MUNA for the first of their three album release shows. The show is, of course, completely sold out and if that alone doesn’t make you feel a bit warm, the venue just so happens to be situated in the arches below Charing Cross Station. So, as you can imagine, during a heatwave, it really does get so hot.

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