Concert Review: MUNA Brings THE FIERCE To Indie- Rock At Manhattan Hammerstein Ballroom
On November 6, Manhattan Hammerstein Ballroom was OWNED by MUNA. Without even a debut album out, About U will be released on February 3, these ladies felt like seasoned veterans. Their tracks may have been refreshing in sound, but were received as if they had always been in the audience’s life because they carried such affirmation in themselves as artists. MUNA approached the stage with a confidence and ferocity that made me wonder if this was their headlining tour and not the wonderful Grouplove. Thus, when an artist or band perform with a fiery strength that is strictly their essence, I like to call it “THE FIERCE”.
What is the “THE FIERCE”, and why must I place it in caps? By now, fierce has become a casual word, even for myself. Yet, to be fierce is not a casual thing. It calls for a dominant force of a being to leave every bit of their heart, mind, body, and soul open to the show he or she is about to give. Thus, I add “the’ to fierce, and place it in caps as a reminder that to be fierce is no small feat, which is exactly what MUNA proved at Manhattan Hammerstein. Their energy as a group was “off the charts”. It was as if someone had told them, before entering the stage, that his would be their last performance ever, and, for that, they gave it their all. They were a musical remembrance that being a performer is not just a talent, but an inner urge to connect with the audience. Their “connection:” was both magnetic and magnifying. Seeing such a brightened zest for performing is, naturally, enlivening to an audience, but then you add the dark, scintillating sound of their pop style, and MUNA intoxicated the audience with their music.
MUNA – Winterbreak//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js
With music influences like, The Cure, The Cranberries, and Cyndi Lauper, you can see that MUNA is a band that aims for the eccentricities of “bubblegum” pop. Think of MUNA like a black stick of gum amongst all the regular, pink stick of this common delight. Usually, when you think of gum, you think of it as pink, but, if you saw a black piece of gum, you would be curious about its taste. Would its sweetness have a little bitterness, as well? In some ways, that is what MUNA does to pop. They are the black stick of gum amongst the pinks by adding a dark, rebellious flare to the genre’s typically, “happy go lucky” image. Hence, why I bring up their musical influences. You can always tell a lot about an artist by whom inspired them, and you see MUNA’s inspirers in their every sound and performance move. Such influences were known for bringing out the colorful weirdness and abstract melancholy to pop’s clear, blissful presentation. MUNA does them homage by continuing their penchant to add somber, inquisitive lyrics on life and its workings, while also adding synthetic keys that make listeners want to dance and challenge the world to have some fun.
MUNA, in concert, is a giant promotion of youthful euphoria and anarchy. They just spike up life’s cocktail to serve viewers the musical courage to be bold and confront life. Hence, their lyrics dabble between melancholic, insightful, and an overall call to just not worry anymore. That rich, endearing blend between careless and carefree is led by lead singer Katie Gavin. This songstress feels like a neon, laser beam zooming through the stage: colorful and spontaneous. You want to leap into her music and be the wildness her persona emanates. Furthermore, there is a sensuality to Gavin’s style that impassions both her vocals and physicality as a performer. It is as if, to her, singing a song is like making love to the very entity that is music. Her fellow bandmates, Naomi McPherson (synths) and Josette Maskin (lead guitar) follow suit in showing a deep carnal/ spiritual relationship with music through their backing vocals, synchronized harmonies, and instrumental melodies. Together, MUNA showed Manhattan Hammerstein’s viewers that there were plenty of reasons to love their group.
MUNA – Promise (Audio)//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js
There are so many things to love about MUNA, and they reveal it all through their vivacious concert, which is exactly what any artist, but, especially, a new one should do. Not only did they attract their already fans to further their love for their “swag and song” , but I am positive that they garnered new fans form the crowd, as well. They gave a performance that was so good, it will only motivate others to follow them. Click Here For More Information On MUNA.
