A NIGHT WITH MARUJA: UNION STAGE IN WASHINGTON, DC
BY ELLA EDWARDS
On March 25th, D.C.’s Union Stage got a little taste of Manchester with a group of performers known as Maruja. While these words alone might fill your head with visions of parkas zipped all the way up and double decker buses, this electric foursome concedes to no expectations.
With grandeur and persona, front-man Harry Wilkinson pivoted from spoken word passages to low, meditative tones to rousing rap flows. Shirtless, tatted, and fired up, Wilkinson was a cross between a maestro and a yogi, as his arm movements oscillated between commanding exuberance and hypnotic fluidity. It was clear that the music was taking him somewhere else, and the audience was invited on this adventure. From engaging attendees in a chant of “free, free Palestine!” to crowd surfing, Wilkinson made a point of bringing audience members closer to the performance experience. Why should viewers have all the fun in the mosh-pit anyways?
PHOTO BY EMMALEE SULLIVAN
Though it was practically impossible to know what Wilkinson might do next, it was sure to make the audience go ballistic. Maruja’s fan base is clearly mighty, well-versed in the art of the head-bang and the slam dance. This is a crowd that refuses to be still, a trait shared with the performers.
It would be a journalistic sin to report on Maruja without lauding the talents of saxophonist Joe Carroll. He flaunted highly technical flutter-tonguing, an impressively dark tone, and bird-like dance moves, jolting his head back-and-forth while playing. While it is unique to see saxophone as such an essential feature of a band’s musical fabric, it is apparent that Maruja refuses to be anything less. With inventive and intensive rhythms from bassist Matt Buonaccorsi and drummer Jacob Hayes, this show, closing out the group’s first US tour, was a masterclass in energy-infused tracks that inspiringly built on themselves throughout.
PHOTO BY EMMALEE SULLIVAN
The music that Maruja is making is inexplicable and untethered and their shows are a riveting celebration of this innovation. If you can get your hands on some tickets to see them in Europe this summer, make sure you practice your head-bang beforehand. You will fit right in.
