Written by: Heather McAleavy
The Murder Capital ended their 2018 as a rarity; a band receiving high praise across the board without even having released a debut single. Even now with only three singles available online, they like to play their cards close to their chest so if you want to get to know The Murder Capital, you’ll need to get to a show to hear the full extent of their raucous catalogue. That’s if you can get in…
The smartly-dressed collective, who were named The Guardian’s “ones to watch” last month, are controversially known more for their stage presence than anything they’ve released. Not only championing their “brutal art-punk” sound, the feature also described their live shows as “a thug’s pantomime, delivered with delicacy” and urges readers to see this spectacle for themselves.
This reputation began last year with the release of the live recording of ‘More Is Less’, which went viral on YouTube simply through feverish word-of-mouth shares from those who have been lucky enough to attend one of the early gigs. Currently standing with over 40K views, what better way to propel your career than with a collab between local events company SOMA and O’Hara’s Irish craft beer?
Their first official single ‘Feeling Fades’ was released on 11th January, and was produced by the BRIT award-winning Flood (Foals, PJ Harvey, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds etc). The scuzzy, bass-heavy track was released via their own label Human Season Records, which truly drives home the DIY ethic of the band.
Latest track ‘Green & Blue‘, which was released last Thursday (25th April), is a six-minute exploration of sounds. With slower, more melodic guitar melodies woven over scattered drum beats, this darker and more brooding single goes to show that The Murder Capital are more than just your typical punk band. Vocalist James McGovern’s unique, drawling style and bassist Gabriel Paschal Blake’s rumbling rhythms still ring through making this an exciting edition to their growing collection.The accompanying conceptual music video premiered on The Fader, and it’s low contrasting lighting and analogue style perfectly matched the dreary, vintage tone of the track. Check it out, below!
Made up of James McGovern, Damien Tuit, Cathal Roper, Gabriel Paschal Blake and Diarmuid Brennan, The Murder Capital formed only just a year ago and have achieved more than most could wish for in years after multiple releases. In this time, they’ve sold out shows in their hometown of Dublin, toured alongside Slaves, Shame and Fontaines DC, and have been highly praised by the likes of NME, Loud & Quiet and DIY. The Irish Times have also referred to them as “Ireland’s best new rock band” while NME named them one of their “100 Essential New Artists for 2019.”
The Murder Capital are an Irish band through and through, with Loud & Quiet journalist Ian Roebuck stating “The band exist to reference the city they live in and candidly depict modern life as a young Irish male”. With songs that reflect the current affairs of Ireland and an expressed love for Dublin’s architecture, it’s been said that they’re part of an Irish neo-punk uprising alongside Fontaines DC, refusing to be compared to any British band of the same calibre. They stand on their own two feet and ask for you to dig a little deeper than a streaming site to understand how.
Early next month, Irish punk five-piece The Murder Capital will be performing six headline shows across the UK, including dates in Manchester, London and Bristol.
Buy TicketsWebsite – themurdercapital.com
Facebook – /MurdrCapitalBand
Twitter – @MurderCapital_