MUNA is the greatest band in the world. Or, at least, that’s what MUNA, the Los Angeles-hailing three-piece indie-pop band, wants you to think. On May 6, the band brought their North American 2023 Life’s So Fun Tour (named after their 2022 viral hit “Silk Chiffon”) to Brighton’s Roadrunner. The band—consisting of frontwoman and lead singer Katie Gavin, lead guitarist Josette Maskin, and multi-instrumentalist and producer Naomi McPherson—have been the go-to band for electro-synth pop bangers since 2017, when their debut album “About U” released.

They’ve spent plenty of time on the road, having opened for artists like Harry Styles, Lorde, Kacey Musgraves, The 1975, and most recently, Taylor Swift for her Eras Tour. Now on the road supporting the release of their self titled third album, the group played the bulk of their newer material as well as plentiful servings of their back catalogue. With the support of punk duo Nova Twins, MUNA delivered an electric, unforgettable performance. 

Prior to the band going onstage, the crowd was buzzing with anticipation. MUNA’s emotive and vulnerable songwriting often touches on the complexities and highs of discovering one’s self in a queer community. This creates a safe and well-connected environment in which everybody across gender and sexual identities can let go, sing, and dance like nobody’s watching. MUNA’s crowd is also extremely devoted, many having seen the band’s previous show at Wellesley College just days prior on May 3. Every song was met with a chorus of thousands who knew every word, including their newest single, “One That Got Away,” which was released a mere two weeks before the concert. 

The band’s tour bassist Geo Botelho and tour drummer Sarab Singh were the first to enter the stage, followed by Maskin and McPherson who were met with rapturous applause, and finally Gavin, just in time to hit the first beat of their hit song “What I Want.” The song is an energetic anthem celebrating one’s freedom to make their own decisions and abandon social restrictions during a night out, sending the crowd into a boisterous, screaming frenzy–evidently the perfect opener. 

Throughout the first part of the show, the band kept the energy high, following their opener with “Number One Fan,” a song about being your own number one fan, and the lead single from their sophomore album, “Saves The World.” After the band played “Solid,” a jagged, Peter Gabriel-esque synth pop track, Gavin greeted and thanked the crowd as well as initiated the first of many banter sessions between her bandmates throughout the night. It is in these moments when you can see the complete love that the band has for each other, and it is a joy to witness in person. The band continues to express their close bond through the lustful “No Idea,” turning their affections onto each other (gathering thousands of shrill shrieks) as well as chasing each other around stage during introspective fan-favorite “Home By Now.” 

Halfway through, the band brings the energy down, transitioning into some of their most vulnerable songs. “Loose Garment,” as Gavin describes as “having a really tender relationship with those moments of suffering,” sobers the crowd up. They then play “Winterbreak,” a fan favorite from their debut album about “wanting to make a home out of a person that has proved to you time and again that they are not a home.” Before playing  “Kind of Girl,” their self proclaimed “country song,” Gavin makes a speech dedicating the song to the transgender community in light of their harsh political targeting by Conservative lawmakers. MUNA is not an apolitical band and refuses to let their audience hold that indifferent mindset as well, serving as a reminder to our current political climate before allowing the audience to lose themselves in the show once more. 

The band closed their set with their viral queer anthem “Silk Chiffon,” a duet with indie-darling and label boss Phoebe Bridgers with McPherson covering Bridgers’s verse and their defining hit, “I Know A Place.” The song, written after the Pulse NightClub Shooting, acts as the band’s mantra, with the song’s themes of safety, self-expression, and community amongst queer individuals showing up all across their discography. Gavin shared with the crowd that the song was inspired by “the hopeful rage that they could find a place to express themselves” and thanked their fans for creating a space for them. 

On the stage, MUNA was the embodiment of joy. Maskin spent the majority of the concert running back and forth across stage while pumping their fists in the air, Gavin twirled across the stage all night, always finding ways to interact with her fellow bandmates, while McPherson, although staying in their corner of the stage the majority of the concert, cracked several jokes all while boasting their talent on several different musical instruments (keyboard and guitar to name a few). Despite Gavin making a quip about losing her breath after Maskin chased her around the stage, she delivered a flawless vocal performance. The band members did not miss a single note or beat throughout the performance. 

MUNA absolutely radiated positivity and fun. Their love for music, each other, performing, and their fans came through every moment of their show, managing to foster a connection with every single member of the audience. Through their impassioned, electrifying, and enthusiastic performance, it’s no wonder they call themselves the greatest band in the world. They know it, and now every member of the crowd knows it as well.