Live Report: The Murder Capital tear up Iveagh Gardens

As the rain began to fall over Iveagh Gardens, The Murder Capital took to the stage to make the night even darker and stormier. Frontman James McGovern looked out at his hometown audience with a fierce gaze during the instrumental build-up of opening track 'The Fall' before launching into the full-throated, crashing cacophony of a chorus.

After their third album Blindness debuted at number one on the Independent Chart in February, The Murder Capital returned to Dublin in full force. Their power was on display with the shouting, thrashing 'More Is Less' which opened up mosh pits as an almost comical display of flying pints and shoes ensued.

The energy cooled slightly with 'Death of a Giant', a glass raised — literally, upon McGovern's request, audience members raised what pints were left — to the late great Shane MacGowan. 'Death of a Giant' originates from the band witnessing MacGowan's funeral procession, McGovern told Hot Press in March, and one can't help but draw some thematic resemblance between The Pogues and The Murder Capital.

Like MacGowan, McGovern's lyrics cut deep into his experiences of growing up amid a tumultuous political and social climate, as well as his own personal struggles.  Songs like 'A Distant Life', 'For Everything' and 'Heart in the Hole' dug deep into the songwriter's pain, grief, regret and lost love.

The Murder Capital at Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 19.7.2025 Copyright Colm Kelly

After the aggressive, guitar-driven track 'That Feeling' — a heavy account of complex emotional turmoil — the band launched into the ominous, whining 'Slowdance I' and its instrumental sister track 'Slowdance II'.

Continuing to pry relentlessly at listeners' heartstrings, 'Swallow' saw McGovern fall to his knees as he wailed out his masterful lyricism, pouring out his heart to the crowd in a raw, lachrymose lament.

"You're perfect in any light, anthracite could explain," McGovern sang, referring to anthracite, the variety of coal with the fewest impurities. "I pace between the lines that you spoke and on your face."

Shifting from personal to political turmoil, McGovern paused to speak on the rise of hate-driven nationalism hand-in-hand with xenophobia in Ireland.

"I'm happy to see a fucking bunch of tricolours here, 'cause that's our flag," McGovern told the crowd.

"They can fly it in hatred all they want but really, that's our flag. See, they want us divided, that's all they want. They want us to blame the man next door. Don't let them divide us...I can't tell you how fucking lucky we are that this is our crowd and this is who our people are."

The Murder Capital at Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 19.7.2025 Copyright Colm Kelly

The screen behind the band displayed the crowd, showing audience members hoisting Palestinian flags alongside their tricolours. The band's support for Palestine was clear from the start, with flags draped over amplifiers on stage and a keffiyeh wrapped around guitarist Cathal Roper's shoulders. In May, The Murder Capital had two German shows cancelled over their plans to display a Palestinian flag. Recently, the band was invited to the Palestinian Embassy in Ireland before performing at Iveagh Gardens, and during the show, the crowd's passionate support was evident.

McGovern called for a moment of silence for those living under constant attacks from Israeli settlers.

"I just want to dedicate this to the people of Palestine. We're going to chant all night, but just a few seconds, yeah? For all those beautiful people who should be living their lives, but for no fucking good reason, they aren't," McGovern said solemnly.

After the moment of silence, the band launched into a powerful rendition of 'Love of Country'. The jarringly heavy tune, written shortly after the riots in Dublin in November 2023, described the rise of right-wing xenophobic movements around the world, with McGovern belting out, "Could you blame me for mistaking your love of country for hate of man?"

After the song, stage lights were cut and the screen behind the band displayed a crystal-clear statement in bold:

"Israel is committing genocide. The people of Palestine need your support. Use your voice."

The set continued, as the band reminded Dublin of their immense talent in musicality with 'Green & Blue', a slow drum-driven build of unrest that never quite reaches a peak. In contrast, 'Feeling Fades' saw cascading rises and falls, guitars punching through in controlled chaos that closes out like a crashing wave.

The Murder Capital at Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 19.7.2025 Copyright Colm Kelly

During 'Can't Pretend to Know', McGovern spoke about a crowdsurfing fan who had been escorted out of the pit by security.

"If one of you is crowdsurfing, they're going to get you to stop," McGovern said. "But if ten of you are fucking crowdsurfing, they can't get you to fucking stop. Take it a-fuckin-way, Dublin!"

Sure enough, at least five bodies soared over the mosh pit during the crowd-favourite 'Don't Cling To Life', a harsh, gritty commentary on people's fear of death. "Don't cling to life, there's nothing on the other side," McGovern sang.

The Murder Capital wrapped up with a two-track encore featuring anti-lovesongs 'Ethel' and 'Words Lost Meaning', both twisting the concept of a ballad with the band's typically dark lyrics and dystopian sound.

As the set ended, the political consciousness didn't fade away. The audience chanted "free, free Palestine" as the band took their bows.

The Murder Capital at Iveagh Gardens, Dublin 19.7.2025 Copyright Colm Kelly

The crowd cheered long after the lights were off, and while ears rang from lingering bass, one thing was true: as much as Dublin is in the heart of The Murder Capital's songs, so too is The Murder Capital in the hearts of their Dublin fans.