murder by death - live and in person

While their name may bring to mind a crew of surly metallers, a cursory listen to their inspired mix of warped Americana, sea shanties and hard-driving rock ‘n roll quickly dispels this notion. Elegant cello player Sarah is familiar with people making such preconceptions, “That’s quite typical. Our name actually comes from a Neil Simon play which was made into a movie, a kind of murder mystery spoof. But people do tend to think we’re definitely a metal band.” Singer and guitarist Adam then elaborates, “We thought it was dark but also funny at the same time and that represented our sense of humour. It’s very dark material but the fact that it doesn’t actually make sense cancels out the heavy sounding aspects of it.” New album ‘In Bocca Al Lupo’ is a potent cocktail of dark, narrative-driven songs of errant brothers and sinful sons and saloon bar riffage, given a contemporary classical edge by Balliet’s cello. Adam describes the album as “an anthology of short stories”, all featuring different characters and scenarios but linked together through themes of sin, redemption and guilt. He adds, “I think we were going for a more unique sound from song to song. We wanted this to be a bizarre album where the songs stand out from each-other”. Sarah went on to explain the significance of the title, “It’s something Italian schoolteachers say to the children before they take a test. The literal translation is ‘in the mouth of the wolf’ but essentially it’s a good luck phrase. I thought it was really appropriate as a lot of the characters on the record are figuratively ‘in the mouth of the wolf’ at the stage in their lives the stories are taking place.” While there are undoubtedly some weighty concepts and themes at work here, ‘In Bocca Al Lupo’ is the follow-up to the full-blown concept album ‘Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left Of Them?’ which detailed a story of the devil’s retribution against a Mexican town, prompting many theories and even a PhD thesis, “A lot of people made the association between the devil and George W. Bush, as it’s set in the desert and people are being attacked on their home front. People made a lot of political parallels” Adam explains, seeming interested but slightly baffled by this interpretation. Sarah quickly affirms, “We’re not a political band, it’s not what our band’s about”. On arrival back in the States the band embark on a tour of the US and Canada with Rev. Horton Heat. I ask who they would most like to tour with: “We got to open some dates for The Pogues who are one of my favourite bands,” Adam says with real enthusiasm, “Oh, I’d love to tour with Muse. Those guys are technically very talented.” “It’s amazing that with just three guys they manage to make so much sound” Sarah adds. Murder By Death’s fans are notable for their unerring enthusiasm and dedication, and it’s not unusual to see various different lyrics boldly emblazoned across their skin, “Last time we were in London,” Adam says, breaking into a belly laugh, “there were these two girls who had ‘I’ll drink whiskey instead of water’ right above their… lady parts!” On stage, they launch straight into new single ‘Sometimes The Line Walks You”, and Murder By Death have the crowd captivated, and rocking, immediately. The primal fury of Adam’s singing seems almost unrecognisable from the polite, well-spoken mannerisms I had observed not much earlier, and when he sings “I’ve laid a couple out on the cooling board” it sounds chillingly believable. Leaning heavily on their new material, the set is constantly gripping and the likes of ‘Boy Decide’ and ‘Brother’ (their first UK single) are truly thrilling. Bassist Matt Armstrong is the most laidback on stage but perfectly compliments the manic drumming of Dagan Thogersen during these standouts. When the band slow things down, the results are no less impressive, the spectre of Johnny Cash hovers over Adam’s vocals on The Big Sleep’, and the encore ‘Shiola’ is unwaveringly beautiful. Soon after the gig, they board the bus headed for Manchester and a chance to show the rest of the country their “dark cowboy songs” as Adam puts it. Fortunately for the renowned whiskey lovers, they have a crucial travelling companion. “I’m not strictly a bourbon man,” Adam informs me. “I’ve got two bottles of Jameson in the van.” “We love Jameson!” Adam and Sarah chirp out together, with all the passion and enthusiasm of their live set.