The Murder Capital at Music Hall of Williamsburg (photo by Kevin McGann)

 

Last week’s killer performance from Dublin’s The Murder Capital was three years in the making for many of us in the room. The last time they placed NYC was literally the last of any shows that would happen that year. It was March 12th 2020 and the following day the city and most of the country went into lockdown. I wound up not going as I was starting to get sick myself and didn’t want to be the guy that took out one of his favorite new bands.

 

In the three years since that epic show, which was at the now shuttered Knitting Factory, TMC’s debut album When I Have Fears (TMC’s own Human Season Records) has been on heavy repeat for me. That Flood-produced banger of an album encapsulated the emotions of the post-pandemic world and I felt it, from first track to last. So, when they took the stage at Music Hall of Williamsburg last Tuesday there was no more perfect opener than “For Everything.” With its stark sound, thunderous drums and almost chant-like “For everything, for nothing” conclusion, it set the tone for a blistering set to come.

 

The other thing that happened since TMC’s NYC debut was the release of their sophomore album, Gigi’s Recovery. Released on January 20th of this year, it expands on the sound and themes of When I Have Fears. It’s an album that shows their growth as songwriters yet sonically it blends so well with the songs from Fears. Standouts from Gigi during last week’s set included “Crying,” “The Stars Will Leave Their Stage,” “A Thousand Lives,”  and “Ethel” which has a surrealist video.

 

 

The band, with James McGovern on vocals, Damien Tuit and Cathal Roper on guitars, Gabriel Paschal Blake on bass and Diarmuid Brennan on drums, were clearly having a good time and killed it from start to finish. Other highlights included bangers from Fears, like “Green & Blue,” “More Is Less,” and “Feeling Fades,” and the title track from the brand new record.

 

Opening the night was Boston’s Pet Fox, a three-piece band made up of Theo Hartlett on guitar and vocals, Morgan Luzzi on bass and Jesse Weiss on drums. They released their self-titled debut album back in 2018 and their most recent album in June of 2022, the stellar A Face In Your Life (Exploding In Sound Records). A fun, upbeat, yet heartfelt performance, Pet Fox puts on a great show, and I look forward to catching them again.

 

Anyone who has a chance though to catch The Murder Capital, make sure to grab a ticket and catch one of Ireland’s best on this tour. And make sure to give Gigi’s Recovery a spin.

 

Scroll down for setlist, pics of the show (photos by Kevin McGann)

 

Setlist: For Everything, Return My Head, More Is Less, The Stars Will Leave Their Stage, Green & Blue, Crying, A Thousand Lives, Gigi’s Recovery, Slowdance I, Slowdance II, We Had to Disappear, Feeling Fades, Only Good Things, Don’t Cling to Life, Ethel

 

PET FOX

 

THE MURDER CAPITAL