Photo credits: Cal Moores<\/p>\n
Review by Sydney Spottiswood<\/p>\n
Maruja\u2019s sold-out show at The Rockwell this past Sunday was nothing short of electric. Establishing themselves by their blend of hardcore punk, noise rock, and transcendent saxophone melodies with provoking lyrics, the rising Manchester-based quartet \u2013 composed of guitarist and vocalist Harry Wilkinson, saxophonist and secondary vocalist Joe Carroll, bassist Matt Buonaccorsi, and drummer Jacob Hayes \u2013 performed with opener We Broke the Weather in an experience that was as potent as it was immersive.<\/span><\/p>\n The Rockwell, a performing arts theatre typically known for hosting comedy shows in the heart of Davis Square, fostered an energy akin to a dive bar as the attendees \u2014 an eclectic mix of Carhartt-clad Fantanoheads and your typical old school crust punks \u2014 bustled up in the theatre\u2019s hallway. Nondescript saxephone notes floated down the hallway as the bands wrapped up soundcheck amid the chatter of the night.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI mean, [hosting comedy shows] just seems like what you\u2019d use a black box theatre and bar for,\u201d commented an attendee waiting in line, fitted up in a patch-ridden battle jacket and facial piercings. \u201c[I] wanna see how they\u2019re gonna switch it up with, like, a noise rock band playing here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Under a wash of blood-red stage lights, We Broke the Weather, a self-described \u201cfuzzed out garage prog\u201d act from Somerville, opened up the show. Assigning titles to each member would be a misunderstanding of the band\u2019s ethos. Throughout each song, the members would swap instruments with each other, switch out whoever was singing, even erasing the line between audience and performer as one of the guitarists ran into the mob mid-song. A saxophonist became a guitarist, and vice versa.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To begin the set, Wilkinson sprinted on stage in a red and black keffiyeh, and the rest of the band commenced with \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d from the band\u2019s 2024 EP \u201cConnla\u2019s Well.\u201d Immediately plunged the audience into the band\u2019s signature controlled chaos, the brooding bassline and Carroll\u2019s frantic saxophone wails set the tone for a relentless onslaught of sound. \u201cBreak the Tension\u201d followed as a bit of an ironic counterpoint to the band’s ever-growing intensity, with Wilkinson\u2019s voice flipping between gentle croons and screaming with each line.<\/span><\/p>\n The highlight of the night was with \u201cZeitgeist,\u201d a track that perfectly encapsulated the band’s ability to shift between hypnotic grooves and full-throttle catharsis. Everyone erupted into a circle pit as the song\u2019s climactic breakdown played, where Carroll parted the crowd in two \u2014 all while playing the sax, mind you \u2014 and proceeded to run around the entire theatre. The politically charged \u201cLook Down on Us\u201d carried a raw defiance, with its menacing and shameless instrumentals reinforcing the lyrics\u2019 power.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re from the UK, but corruption is everywhere now,\u201d said Wilkinson after he wrapped up the song. \u201cAnd we know you guys have a whole lotta <\/span>that<\/span><\/i> going on right now … We stand with you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Midway through the set, \u201cOne Hand Behind the Devil” and “Thunder” carried the energy at a fever pitch. The band\u2019s chemistry was on full display as they navigated intricate shifts in rhythm, seamlessly blending the heaviness of the bass and drums with Carroll\u2019s light and jazzy saxophone. \u201cKakistocracy,\u201d in what felt like the night\u2019s most thematically intense moment, was a war cry against societal decay, its chaotic saxophone and pounding drums fueling the mosh pit in the room.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAlthough our music sounds violent, our lyrics are meant to promote peace,\u201d said Wilkinson. The vocalist then led the audience into raising their fists in solidarity with Palestine and those targeted by ICE raids in the United States. A minute of silence followed.<\/span><\/p>\n Maruja rounded out the night with \u201cResisting Resistance,\u201d which was an anthemic yet cathartic finale that left Buonaccorsi and Carroll as the duo to control the stage. As the last notes rang and the lights dimmed, the room was left in stunned silence before erupting into thunderous applause.<\/span><\/p>\n Maruja\u2019s set at The Rockwell cements the band as one of the most invigorating live acts growing today. Their ability to channel raw emotion and political messaging into a meticulous yet explosive sound is simply unparalleled, making their show last Sunday a performance that won\u2019t soon be forgotten.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Photo credits: Cal Moores Review by Sydney Spottiswood Maruja\u2019s sold-out show at The Rockwell this past Sunday was nothing short of electric. Establishing themselves by their blend of hardcore punk, noise rock, and transcendent saxophone melodies with provoking lyrics, the rising Manchester-based quartet \u2013 composed of guitarist and vocalist Harry Wilkinson, saxophonist and secondary vocalist […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21925,"featured_media":47438,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1525,1523,15,1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47437"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21925"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47437"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47439,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47437\/revisions\/47439"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}