The Murder Capital have had a turbulent year. Straight out of releasing their critically acclaimed debut album When I have Fears, they have launched into an equally acclaimed UK tour playing a string of festival dates over the summer before now headlining their own set of dates.

The room was filled with anticipation when the band finally took to the stage. Opening with both pats of ‘Slowdance’  played in sequence, the group instantly created an eerie atmosphere. The choice to open with slower, more atmospheric tracks, in contrast to the high-octane opener of the album was unorthodox but welcome as the group were able to build more steadily towards a climactic finish, as opposed to creating a mid-show lull in energy, as so many bands of their genre do. This more introspective opener proved to be a fantastic decision as the group immediately progressed into ‘Twisted Ground.’ This hazy ballad-like track proved to be the highlight of the entire set, creating a powerful vibe and a sense of dread, especially when the track reaches its climax with shimmering guitars rattling over James McGovern’s muffled yet raspy vocals lines.

This proved to be a turning point in the set, as the group moved on to the more energetic portion of their discography. Launching straight into album opener ‘For Everything,’ McGovern employed a shaker and a dominating stage presence, while delivering a far more powerful vocal performance, in contrast to the subdued figure we had seen thus far. Crowd surfing, mosh pits and chaos ensued, totally matching the newly invigorated band, alongside thrashing guitar melodies and most notably a vigorous performance from Diarmuid Brennan, whose drumming proved to be the most impressive stylistically in the entire band. However, it was fan favourite ‘Green and Blue’ which took centre stage as the crowd sang along to nearly every line. Meanwhile, various on-stage hugs and in-crowd hand-holding created a positive atmosphere which helped balance out the traditional hyper-masculine punk aesthetic with a more modern, socially conscious state of mind.

Skipping an encore altogether, the band launched into renditions of ‘Don’t Cling to Life,’ ‘More Is Less’ and ‘Feeling Fades,’ which all proved to be a perfect end to an already impressive show. Each topping the ferocity of the last, and the energy of the crowd escalating with it. The only accurate way to truly summarise the experience came from an audience member who loudly proclaimed, ‘You f***ing smashed it, boys.’ Never has a random heckler been so accurate.