At the start of 2025, we featured The Murder Capital among our Artists to Watch in anticipation of their third studio album, Blindness, released on February 21st through Human Season Records. Their acclaimed 2023 release, Gigi’s Recovery, placed the Dublin-based post-punk quintet firmly on the map. Following extensive touring in support of that record, including a prestigious stint opening for Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, the band is now touring for the third consecutive year. Having recently completed a brief Asia/Oceania run, they’re currently making their way across Europe before heading to North America this autumn.
Though perhaps not their most sonically adventurous work, Blindness is undoubtedly their most accessible and my personal favorite. With sharp guitar work, tighter rhythms, and melodies that perfectly complement James McGovern’s compelling lyricism, Blindness reaffirms The Murder Capital as key-players within the vibrant Irish post-punk scene along with acts like Fontaines D.C. and the lessers known Gilla Band and Thumper.
Tonight, The Murder Capital are performing at Milan’s Alcatraz, which is surprisingly empty as supporting act Hex Girlfriend takes the stage, greeted by a small yet lively audience. Hex Girlfriend, a duo featuring James Knott on bass and Noah Yorke on drums and vocals, delivers a set that’s sure to persing the memories of all attendees. Dressed in white lab aprons over dark clothes, the duo immediately creates a unique visual impression. Yorke frantic, complex rhythms on the drums are complemented by Knott’s powerful, driving bass lines. The dynamic interplay between the dynamic duo and strobes and lighting effects enhances the intensity of their performance, creating a mesmerizing energy. Blending funky bass lines, industrial drumming, and electronic beats, Hex Girlfriend defy easy categorization. The Italian fans in attendance may have been reminded of Subsonica and Bluvertigo’s iconic early-2000s video for Discolabirinto, featuring scientists in lab coats who visually translated rhythm and melody through intense lighting and strobe effects.
By the time Hex Girlfriend conclude their powerful set, Alcatraz (or rather the half of it allotted for tonight’s show) has filled to capacity, and soon thereafter The Murder Capital finally take the stage. The set begins in dim lights with “The Fall,” off their latest album. Diarmuid Brennan’s urgent drumming and Damien Tuit’s roaring guitars ignite the crowd, who chant along passionately: “The Fall is coming!” This intensity carries directly into “Less Is More,” a fan favorite from their 2019 debut, When I Have Fears, with McGovern and the audience exchanging calls of “More is less, more is less, more, more, more!”
The setlist is crafted so to guide the audience through distinct phases of the band’s discography. Guitarists Cathal Roper and Damien Tuit showcase their versatility, blending math-rock-inspired riffs with evocative synth textures on “Death of a Giant,” dedicated to the memory of the late Shane McGowan. The early energy transitions gracefully into atmospheric selections from previous albums such as “The Stars Will Leave Their Stage,” “A Distant Life,” and “A Thousand Lives.”
“Love of Country,” from the new album, is a striking song that narrates the dark-side of patriotism and nationalism. While the song’s slow-burning intensity and distorted guitar layers initially seemed challenging to translate effectively to the stage, the performance tonight proved powerful and moving, elevated by McGovern’s earnestness and the band’s execution.
The rest of the setlist built into a powerful crescendo which has the audience form a small moshpit. newer tracks like “Swallow” and “Moonshot” from Blindness are mixed with fan favorites including the 2023 single “Heart In The Hole” and their signature song, “Don’t Cling To Life,” before concluding the main set with the deeply resonant “Can’t Pretend to Know.” After a quick break the band returns on stage for an encore featuring “Ethel” — a dark and sombre tune with a striking climax driven by Roper and Tuit’s shrieking guitars and McGovern’s superb performance. The night concludes triumphantly with “Words Lost Meaning,” the audience passionately echoing the chorus: “Oh I never need you to say I love you — the words lost meaning.”
The Murder Capital continue their extensive 2025 world tour, with shows throughout Europe this summer before hitting North America for more dates this autumn
GALLERY: The Murder Capital and Hex Girlfriend at Alcatraz in Milan, Italy (May 5, 2o25)
The Murder Capital
Hex Girlfriend
