It Gets So Hot at a MUNA Show- London’s Heaven Nightclub 5/28

Written by Claire Hookstra

Amidst a historic May heatwave that swept across the United Kingdom, people crammed into the renowned LGBTQIA+ nightclub, Heaven, under Charing Cross Station in London to see the LA-based pop trio, MUNA. With three nights of special shows dedicated to celebrating the release of the group’s latest album, Dancing On The Wall, the crowded British nightclub took the lyrics of the album’s opening song, “It Gets So Hot,” to heart as the “sweat beat down on the concrete” dance floor. 

Waiting for the show to start, audience members buzzed with excitement over their London-exclusive merch (which of course I also bought), their strongly made drinks, and their utter excitement to see the band, who hadn’t played a full-length concert in the UK since 2023. With no opening act and starting promptly at 7 p.m., the lights in the railway tunnels-turned-gay-club dimmed as bass lines swelled through the humid air. One by one, members of MUNA (Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson, and Josette Maskin) entered the raised stage to a sea of applause as silhouettes. The LED screen shone a red hue across the sold-out club, as MUNA played their latest record in order from beginning to end. Despite the album having been released only three weeks prior, it felt as if every person in the room knew just about every word to every track. The “ha ha ha” adlibs of “Girl’s Girl” echoed through the chamber-esque venue, the rapid lyricism of “Why Do I Get A Good Feeling” was no match for the audience, and the bridge of “Eastside Girls” got particularly loud when the group sang “Nashville, LONDON, negroni with the nice gin.” 

“Big Stick,” though critical of America’s current political leadership, was just as powerful as it would be in the States, with each word vibrating through the room, and the crowd screamed along in near-anger. The final track of the record and the conclusion of the first set of the night, “Buzzkiller,” was one of, if not the, most emotional songs of the night, for it felt as if the radiating synth was vibrating through my body, as I saw tears fall down the faces of those around me. A perfect conclusion to the danceable Dancing On The Wall, the audience was left in awe as the band left the stage for a very short intermission. 

Only being gone for approximately 30 seconds, the crowd had already initiated a chant of “MUNA! MUNA!” through the now quite sweaty audience. Pre-recorded echoes of the fan-favorite “Stayaway” seemed to move through the air, bouncing from speaker to speaker, resulting in giddy whoops from the crowd. Immediately recognizing the track, people screamed along to the first verse before MUNA rushed back onto the stage to sing the chorus and the rest of the ballad. Seeming more relaxed and ready to have fun with their old favorites, MUNA took a lighthearted approach to the second set, bouncing off one another’s comments in the mic and interacting with the crowd. Warning that a “sad song” was next, the group giggled before the ethereal intro to “Everything” began, the anthem for any queer breakup. The heaviest and most rock-like song of the night, bassist Naomi McPherson and guitarist Josette Maskin shredded their instruments, the touring band hit every note with a punch, and Gavin belted so loud I wouldn’t be surprised if the bustling street above the venue felt heard whispers of the concert below.

Nearing the end of the night, the queer-joy anthem “I Know A Place” gave the audience one last opportunity to give it all on the dancefloor, which was very fitting in the pride flag-lined room right before the start of Pride Month. MUNA ended the night with “Silk Chiffon." After restarting the song after the group mistook a video with iPhone flash as a sign for help, McPherson gave the crowd an impromptu special verse: “When she turns 'round / Halfway down the aisle / With her iPhone flashlight on,” leading to excited laughs from the row of iPhone lights near the front of the stage. Before I could even comprehend that I was seeing a band that changed my life in not just another city, but another country, the show was over, and the lights lifted. Smiles were drawn on the faces of every now drenched in sweat attendee as they made their way out into the street, ready to go to whatever their after-show plans may be. I’ve never left a MUNA show disappointed; however, this specific show was a level of energy I’d never felt before. Maybe it was the underground venue, the rush of the end of the album release tour, or delusion from the ungodly heat of the day. Whatever it may have been, it was the best I’ve ever seen the trio perform. Name a better way to spend a Thursday evening than by dancing, singing, crying, and most of all, sweating, in an old railway nightclub with MUNA.