Camden Underworld – 11/03/2011
There was a huge buzz in the Camden area of London on the 11th March, this buzz was generated by one of the most hard-working and driven bands on the circuit and when they play in the UK, it gets noticed.
My Ruin had come to play in London and they meant business. This was hotly anticipated as a homecoming gig as this band are so well received in the UK. It was clear how popular the show was going to be as soon as the queue of excited fans stretched right down the street and right around the corner. The Underworld in Camden, has had some pretty amazing bands play over the years, and I am safe to say that My Ruin are now concreted at the top of that elite list.
From the moment that ‘California Love’ was played as an intro before the band took to the stage, the rabid crowd almost took the roof off the place. The track is a brief reminder of how the diversely talented Tairrie B started her music career back in the 90′s as a kick ass female rapper who pulled no punches. Skip forward to 2011 and she still kicks ass albeit, in a different genre. Regardless of musical style, Tairrie B Murphy still gets her powerful message across like no other. Raw, emotive, powerful, edgy and of course, bad ass. Name one pretender out there that can match that? Exactly….anyway, I digress.
As soon as Mrs Murphy takes to the stage, it is clear to see she is oozing with confidence, swagger and passion and with the crowd in full voice, the mighty My Ruin blast through the truly brutal “Stick it to me” and what is apparent immediately is that the fans love the interaction that Tairrie offers. She is in the front row, picking out fans to scream along with her. The audience participation is awesome and it really sets the band apart from other bands on the circuit. The sell out crowd are in fine voice as is Tairrie and to be honest, to witness it first hand made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
My Ruin roar through an electric setlist which includes tracks from the latest release, “Ghosts and Good Stories” including my personal favourite, ‘Excommunicated’ – This riff laden monster would have left the most ardent metal head with a ‘bangover’. Tonight was a special date in the My Ruin calender as is was a very special anniversary for Mick and Tairrie Murphy…11 years together on the 11 March 2011 – This made the show even more special to the band and the fans alike.
Now dont get me wrong, Mr and Mrs M, are the focal point of My Ruin and that is not a bad thing at all, but believe me, Luciano Ferrea (also known as the God of Thunder) on the bass guitar and the uber-talented drummer, Matt LeChevalier made sure that the set was so tight and they complemented Mick’s slick riffs, grooves and solos perfectly for the entire set.
With stand-out tracks such as Money Shot, Burn the Witch and of course the crowd favourite, Blasphemous Girl it was clear that My Ruin were out to make a mark on the UK and if you ask me, they did that extremely well. Lets hope that Mr and Mrs Murphy enjoyed the tour enough to come back again in the future.
I was also extremely lucky to be invited to the aftershow party at Nambucca. The reception was immense. Initially there was due to be a VIP area for fans to have a meet and greet, but in the end, the entire room was the VIP area due to it being so rammed with fans hoping to meet the band. There was a special anniversary cake laid on by the awesome promoter, Mick Wood who made sure that fans and band alike were well looked after. All of the fans seemed to be very happy that they got to hang out with the most friendly and interactive band in metal.
