For those who have spent any time in Manchester over the past few years, Maruja has been an inescapable name. Since forming in 2014, the quartet have evolved from a folk-jazz rock group into one of the best names in Britain’s experimental post-punk scene, blending hardcore and rap elements with the alto saxophone that characterised their early days. Now, they have released their debut album into the world under metal label Music for Nations, and have embarked on a run of smaller record store shows to promote it. This included a stop at the 450-capacity Academy 3 in the band’s hometown, which turned out to be more than just a teaser for their huge headline at O2 Ritz later in the autumn.
‘Break The Tension’, an early single from their debut album, was chosen to open Maruja’s set. From the first moment, it was evident that this would be a special show: Academy 3 may only be a dark room with a stage and bar, but the members of Maruja transformed it with their ritualistic, theatrical dance movements which were on display as they bounded across the space. As a result, everyone in attendance seemed to be held in a trance for the duration of the set, as Maruja took on a role similar to snake charmers, with frontman Harry Wilkinson poised in the middle like a tattooed titan.
On record, Pain to Power opener ‘Bloodsport’ is ferocious, but live it provided the first glimpse at Maruja’s ability to take one of their own songs and amplify it in every sense until it reaches mind-blowing territory. Taking a moment to address the crowd once the song had concluded, Wilkinson said “It’s nice to be home, today marks a special day”. Elaborating, he noted “This is the first time we’ve been able to play our new album in our hometown”, before urging the clearly eager and happily obliging audience to “Open the fucking pit”.
Four songs in, Wilkinson picked up a guitar, drawing attention to the fact that the instrument had not been used previously and making it all the more shocking that Maruja can make the sounds they do with few resources. ‘Look Down On Us’ is a thrilling, sprawling, political ten minutes which appears early within the track-list of Pain to Power. The first four speak with and for the working classes, seeing Wilkinson denounce the “Same old toxic fables” told by wealthy capitalists and the political landscape that sustains them. He is backed by expansive alto saxophone courtesy of Joe Carroll, which provides an exhilarating accompaniment for his own rap-rock flair.
These four minutes can only be compared to a jazzier, modern-day Rage Against The Machine, but a tonal shift comes in the second portion as the epic slows to an instrumental jazz part akin to other groups in their category of post-punk such as The Orchestra (For Now) and black midi. The track then picks up once again, with Wilkinson’s vocals ranging from guttural to almost operatic, but always reflecting pure unfiltered anger towards the state of the world today. On record, passion can be heard in every instrument featured across ‘Look Down On Us’, and the effect of this is multiplied tenfold in the song’s live performance. The same can be said for ‘Trenches’, which appeared earlier in the set and functioned almost as a call to arms, impeccably displaying Maruja’s aptitude for crafting protest songs that remain innovative and raw but never fall into the realm of tawdriness.
As the end of ‘Born to Die’ arrived and the set began to come to a close, Wilkinson invited the crowd to “Raise a fist for love and solidarity” before ‘Saoirse’, a track from Pain to Power that is nothing short of stunning. For many post-punk bands, slower songs are often pushed aside in favour of more raucous, mosh-inducing tracks, and choosing to play one last would thus be seen as a risky move. For Maruja, however, it made sense: ‘Saoirse’ perfectly embodies the band’s message with its proclamation that “It’s our differences that make us beautiful”, and the song certainly struck a chord with the mix of ages, genders and ethnicities who had come together as the Academy 3 audience.
Though Wilkinson may be the spokesman, all four of Maruja can be counted as some of the most important voices in modern music. It truly is astonishing that the band can cover all bases, thrilling crowds with their live shows while innovating musically and retaining their political purpose all the while. If their ascent continues the way it’s currently going, and they continue to release breathtaking, genre-blending tracks that rank amongst the best of recent years, it’s doubtless that Maruja will go down in history. Board the Pain to Power train before it’s too late.
