“Glasgow, you’re always on the right side of history”: The Murder Capital Light Up St. Luke’s

Words: Josh Parsonage

On a Saturday night in Glasgow, The Murder Capital transformed the church of St. Luke’s into a temple of rock and roll gumption.

The Irish punk outfit brought their dramatic collection of heavy-hitting, emotionally charged music to a crafted culmination, directing it into the hearts and souls of the crowd. The set was characterised by its deliverance, with frontman James McGovern creating intense moments of connection between band and audience. At times, it felt as though he was one of us– and yet, he remained something larger, looming beyond reach.

Following set opener ‘The Fall’, the Dublin rockers launched into the aggressive, viscerally riddled ‘More Is Less’, leaving behind a sense of rock and roll whiplash and barely enough time to process it, firing the passionately boozy crowd into frenzy. 

Every artist has their most popular tracks, and every artist had their fan favourites. For The Murder Capital, the latter is undoubtedly ‘Heart In The Hole’, an existential reflection on the chaos that is life. After a break from setlists, it’s back, and the gut-wrenching punk slow-burner serves as the perfect turning point in any set. The track allows the band to regain the undivided attention of the audience, locking their eyes before launching them into its violent bridge.

There’s something about the rawness and purity of Irish music at the moment that resonates deeply with the British listener. It feels like something missing from the wider rock scene, but bands like The Murder Capital show that Ireland has it in abundance. McGovern and co. channel not only authenticity, but likeability. Their music and its themes are genuine, and so too is their performance.

Following further brilliance in their renditions of tracks such as the brooding ‘Ethel’ and the sombre ‘Trailing A Wing’, the band reinforced their support for the people of Palestine, leading chants for freedom, with McGovern declaring, “Glasgow, you’re always on the right side of history”. 

It set up the closer perfectly: ‘Love Of Country’. The bruising post-punk offering explores the weaponization of patriotism, asking: “Could you blame me for mistaking your love of country for hate of man?”. The five Irishmen give this track everything, making clear their belief in its message – and igniting their performance in the process.  

The Murder Capital continue through the UK and Europe throughout April/May in support of their third record, ‘Blindness’. For those dates in which there are still tickets, this is a must see.