MUNA played at Sydney’s Metro Theatre on Monday, 6th March. Jules LeFevre reviews.
On Sunday night, as the last dregs of sunset vanished behind the Sydney CBD, MUNA stepped out for their first-ever Australian show – in front of a casual 10,000+ people as part of the WorldPride closing concert.
If MUNA had any nerves, it was impossible to tell: theirs was a tight and punchy set, delivered to an audience that was determined to jump in and dance, even if they weren’t as intimately familiar with the cult LA trio as they were with, say, Kim Petras.
The following night, the band are playing their first Australian headline gig at Sydney’s Metro Theatre, and the atmosphere is laser-focused and palpable. The room is packed out shortly after doors open, and it’s as crammed as a sardine tin by the time the main act arrives. The early birds are rewarded: support act Phoebe Go does an admirable job with the antsy crowd, the stark and striking ‘Hey’ the highlight of the set.
MUNA – ‘Anything But Me’
It’s hard to tell who is more excited by MUNA arriving onstage – the crowd, who maintain ear-splitting screams throughout the first few songs, or the trio themselves, who look continually astonished at the ferocious energy being reflected back at them.
Singer Katie Gavin, guitarist Josette Maskin, and multi-instrumentalist Naomi McPherson are each magnetic performers, and after a decade of performing and creating music together, they know how to play off each other to get a reaction. When Gavin slides against McPherson during the bounding opener ‘What I Want’, or Maskin sinks to their knees and wrenches a chord free from the guitar neck, it feels as if the Metro will crack at the seams.
On record, MUNA is pristine and glittering. Live, they’re incendiary. With three albums of keenly adored material under their belts, the set has a feeling of a greatest hits. ‘What I Want’ rolls into ‘Number One Fan’, which twists into ‘Solid’ and then ‘Stayaway’. The lilting ‘Kind of Girl’ is a particular high point, coming midway through the set at the scheduled “country section” of the show, as the band puts it.
In their recent interview with Music Feeds, the trio spoke of feeling “carried” by their fans through their shows. Indeed, Gavin could’ve dropped the mic for the whole first half of the show and relied on the audience to throw the lyrics at the stage. But it’s a connection that goes beyond shouted lyrics: MUNA’s legions of queer fans have felt held by the band’s music for seven years, finding a comforting shoulder or a riotous dancefloor.
The freedom and joy within songs like ‘Silk Chiffon’ and ‘I Know A Place’ is radical for a community that is vilified for simply existing. When the band speaks about this at times throughout the show, there are barely any dry eyes in the room.
‘Home By Now’ kicks the show back into high gear – a fan favourite, the bridge lyric “Why is it so hot in LA, in late October?“ has become the band’s own “leave America” moment. It’s the highlight of the night, as Gavin spins and high kicks and drops to the floor beside a leaping Maskin. From there it feels like a sprint to the finish, with the one-two punch of ‘Anything But Me’ and ‘I Know A Place’ landing before the glimmering ‘Silk Chiffon’ carries the crowd to the end. There are continued chants for an encore, but MUNA decides to leave on a high.
For a long time now, MUNA has somewhat jokingly splashed the declaration ‘Greatest Band In The World‘ across their merch. There’s certainly an argument to be made.
Further Reading
MUNA: “The Concerts are a Breeze Because we Feel Carried by the Fans”
Phoebe Go’s Favourite Solo Artists (Who Started Out in Bands)
Charli XCX Review – Ecstatic Devotion at “Tiny” Melbourne Gig
