Last Thursday marked an important date for Muraki, an up-and-coming alternative rock band from Sheffield, as it was the day of their first ever headline show. The show was at iconic Sheffield venue Sidney & Matilda and as a first-timer to the venue I have to say how great of a space it was. After the 2 openers Jawbone and Innafield had warmed up the already-large crowd, it was time for Muraki to take to the stage.
The set started off strong and high energy with “Earshot” which immediately got the crowd moving with the strong bass from Will Cressey throughout. Then the band went on to perform “Bull By its Horns”, which I would place as my favourite song on the setlist, having singer Jack Wild’s strong vocals cutting through the track with one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard in a while. After playing “My Ghost” and “The Threshold”, Muraki then went on to play another one of their most high-impact songs “G.I.”
By this point they were midway through their set and if there was any tiredness it didn’t show, their energy just kept climbing and climbing, feeding off the crowd. Straight off the back of “G.I” they went into “Black Bouquet”, which yet again highlights the natural talent these 5 boys have. The song was combining some really interesting dynamics with a sound that I found to be reminiscent of post-punk band The Murder Capital, a big inspiration here especially with the song “Ethel”, which they covered later into their set. “Protector”, a song that’s become a must-have on a Muraki setlist, was next. This song highlighted the skills of guitarists Oscar Kamperin-Flint and Chris Elliott with atmospheric guitar and a heavy rhythm section, and by this point it was evident how comfortable these boys were on stage, which as a photographer made me able to get some great shots of some really fun poses.
Coming into the ending of the gig, Muraki slowed it down with “Angel Boy”, a beautiful song that clearly carries an emotional undertone and gave the crowd a low energy moment. The dialogue before going into this song explained it was about not realising everything you have until it’s gone, and the slower rhythm and gentler tones gave the audience time to reflect in a moment of connection, and created quite an emotional moment.
Closing out the show on a higher energy song, they played their classic ending song “Gutpunch”, which starts out as a calm melody, and features my favourite lyric from any of their originals “words on the ceiling, burns on the floor, I’m never kneeling but my knees are red raw”. It then builds through the layers and hard-hitting beats, spotlighting drummer Jacob Wootton’s insanely talented musicality. During my interview with the band he revealed he learnt the drums specially to be in the band, but his skill would suggest he had been playing most his life.
Overall, I was absolutely blown away by the talent each of these boys individually have, and to be able to combine it and work in such a harmonious balance is real skill. It takes a special group of people to work together this well, and I do think this band is special. With this being their first headline gig, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them and I really think they’re a band to watch. Having seen them live I don’t think it’ll be long until they break through into the Manchester music scene too, and as I follow their growth I hope to see them at New Century Hall- a key Manchester location and a dream venue for this band- one day in the future.
All image, writing, editing and publishing credits- Hannah Walford (Me)