The Murder Capital: Lafayette, London – live review

The Murder Capital
Lafayette, London
22nd September 2022

Have you ever wanted, so badly, just to sit in on a band’s practice and watch their creativity flow? To see how they work together? To see how they create such tasteful and atmospheric melodies?? Yeah, me neither. That was until I saw The Murder Capital. 

Lafayette is the home this evening of the band’s album promo show. Not dropping until next year, the evening is here to give fans and industry a taste of what is to come, and no one is disappointed. Urging fans to get down early for a ‘surprise’ sees the new album artwork presented on a huge canvas taking centre stage. Prior to the show, the room feels like an art exhibition of adoring fans looking up to the art of Lafayette’s (annoyingly) high stage.

The creativity and talent that flows through this Dublin five-piece is what drags with it consistent Fontaines D.C. comparisons, although I feel that this is incredibly lazy journalism. There’s a Joy Division-esque familiarity to the new music met with an urgency of passion from the lyrics that seems to sit comfortably in the pathway that band such as IDLES carved for guitar bands in recent years.

The set is a fluid combination of old and new songs, some bearing resemblance to the indie influences of The Strokes (Only Good Times) and some sounding like a track shortlisted to be on the next Tarantino soundtrack (Ethel). Visually the show is as compelling as the performance. Lights flash in urgency and this is also the first gig I have felt a need to wear earplugs. Wearing earplugs to a gig is something I have never done. And that’s not because I think I’m ‘too punk’ or ‘too cool’, it’s because I’m lazy and haven’t got round to buying myself a pair yet. However, this show is so loud that not wearing them simply isn’t an issue (big-up to Lafayette for providing them).

Closing the set with tracks from the forthcoming album and lead singer James McGovern stating “You better be ready to catch me” before throwing his 6foot-something body onto a pile of die-hard fans, the band tastefully avoid coming back out for an encore. The 13-song long set is the perfect mixture of punk, atmospheric ability and rowdiness. There are moments of vulnerability, and moments of absolute chaos which, in my opinion, make for the perfect night.

It’s evident that this music is nothing new as it brings a whole set of influences that your dad has been telling you to listen to for years. However, what it is bringing is a love for guitar music, an IDGAF attitude and a compassion for having a good time. The Murder Capital is a name that you will be hearing a lot more of.

Set list:

A Thousand Lives
More Is Less
Green & Blue
We Had To Disappear
Slowdnce 1
Slowdance 2
Only Good Things
On Twisted Ground
The Stars Will Leave Their Stage
For Everything
Feeling Fades
Don’t Cling To Life
Ethel

The Murder Capital’s much-anticipated second album “Gigi’s Recovery” is set for release on January 20th via Human Season. You can pre-order the album HERE

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All words by Jasmine Hodge. More writing by Jasmine can be found in her author’s archive.

Photo Credit: Marcus Prouse Jr

Source: louderthanwar.com