This week marks the one year anniversary of the last gig I saw in person, and I wanted to share this unpublished review of Dublin post-punk rockers The Murder Capital playing their US debut show at Once Ballroom on March 11th, 2020. Looking back on this night I am reminded of the electric energy in the crowd in Somerville. Despite the creeping sense of dread about the pandemic, what I remember the most is the pure excitement from having taken a chance on a new band that none of us had seen before and having our expectations blown away. There is a sense of connectedness in collectively discovering music, not just in isolation, but among a group of people – a coven of active music listeners gathering together and experiencing fresh sounds.
I remember being torn up about this gig and feeling guilty as I left my apartment and walked down Highland Avenue towards Once Ballroom. The opening band, as per usual, chided the audience for standing too far away from the stage, and I felt twice guilty for joining the cluster down front. The bathroom was plastered with Dolly Parton themed flyers – fast-forward one year and Parton changed the lyrics of “Jolene” to “Vaccine,” to sing on camera in a PSA to promote national inoculation while getting her shot. By the time The Murder Capital wrapped and I had left the venue, I learned the NBA had just been cancelled, and this was the tipping point. As we now know, not long after, Once Ballroom shut its doors for good.
The loss of Once Ballroom is catastrophic for the local community. The first line of their mission statement was “…to foster and support local artists and their art, to bring great events to the area, and to be a gathering space for [the] community...” It was evident in the way they loyally booked local acts to open for international/national acts, thereby giving them excellent exposure, held regular art fairs (where I purchased a rad vintage coat), and made a practice of seeking out diverse talent. Also, important, their sound system ROCKED, as opposed to the muddy audio and drowned out vocals that I hear at DIY shows and the like that try to make-up for lost performance spaces such as this one.
In reflection of one year in lock-down without gigs, let us celebrate this storied club in Somerville. As for The Murder Capital, they announced a few days ago that they don’t plan on continuing the US/Canada tour until 2022, but I hope they return. In the meantime, check out this unpublished show review that was slated to be posted to Allston Pudding exactly one year ago today.
On Wednesday, March 11th, I went to Once Ballroom to check out the Irish five-piece band, The Murder Capital. They were touring in support of their debut album, When I Have Fears, which was recorded by one of the most consequential producers of the past 40 years, Flood. I was eager to see how the band would translate the dark and masterfully crafted album from the studio to the stage.
Openers RUDE engaged with the audience, and implored us to come in closer, knocking us out of our perhaps coronavirus-anxiety induced standoffishness. They kicked off the night with a frenetic dose of urgent punk rock. The eye liner-clad Cameron Hurley sang, yelled, and writhed about the stage, his pale face grinned wickedly from behind a mane of willowy blonde hair. The crowd was into it. Twin guitars sliced, power chords riffed, and a piccolo snare cracked through the evening’s morass. As they wrapped, I decided it must be pretty fun to be RUDE.
Then, The Murder Capitol entered to a full crowd. Singer James McGovern appeared both despondent and determined as he crooned in a possessed baritone. Guitar players Damien Tuit and Cathal Roper elicited a cacophony of tones and textures from a small army of effects pedals below them, which summoned lush guitar layers in real-time, and answered my earlier question about ‘will the album sound great in a live setting’ with an emphatic ‘yes!’
McGovern addressed the audience directly, showing himself to be an adept public speaker. For a few minutes, he articulated his gratitude to be starting their U.S. tour this evening, that just a year ago he wouldn’t have believed that he would be touring in America, and warm-heartedly ribbed someone in the audience for mentioning coronavirus. Sadly, The Murder Capital would have to postpone the remainder of their tour the following evening because of COVID-19 public safety concerns.
On “Love, Love, Love”, McGovern gently held a young woman’s hand in the front row as they locked eyes, she danced, and he sang these words to her:
In the rain, the romance lay/Baby, in the rain, the romance lay/ In the rain, the romance stays/ Maybe in the rain the romance will say goodbye/ Well, goodbye, goodbye.
The final act brought about the earlier energy, as the band concluded with “Don’t Cling to Life” and “Feeling Fades.” With the point of a finger and a flick of the wrist from the front man, a dance circle emerged. McGovern jumped into the audience as he shimmied and continued his vocal duties at eye level. He jumped back onstage and moshing ensued.
The final note chimed at 9:50 pm, which reminded me how early these Once Ballroom shows start & end (in stark contrast to Great Scott’s late pm gigs, as AP writer Jackie Swisshelm noted in her recent *at the time* review of Gladie). Although North America only got two shows from The Murder Capital, I’d say they made it count, and on behalf of Boston, I’m grateful they stopped by.