Words and Photos by Emmie Sweeting
Known for their breakthrough hit single, “Silk Chiffon,” MUNA recently made a stop on their headline Gets So Hot Tour at The Salt Shed in Chicago, IL. Although they just made an appearance at Lollapalooza a few months prior, the band showed their love to the city by returning right away when other musicians usually skip Chicago. Another reason that the band shows so much love to the city is that their lead singer, Katie Gavin, is from the area. She has stated that she loves to return to her home city to see family and, of course, for the food.
Supporting act Hemlocke Springs opened the show with an electric and visually enticing set. Immediately giving the energy needed for this tour, Springs sang her most popular songs as well as her new single, “gloria!” and used props such as a whisk and sword throughout the performance to keep the audience enamored.
After a short set break, MUNA dramatically took the stage as spotlights illuminated band members Katie Gavin, Josette (Jo) Maskin, and Naomi McPherson. Starting off with their hit song and tour namesake, “It Gets So Hot,” the band continued the drama with lowlight until the song hit the chorus – that’s when the show really got started. Red lights, lace dress, fishnets, lesbian vibes, leather, all immediately clueing in the audience as to why the tour is called what it is.
Throughout the show, the band played the fans’ favorites, including “Big Stick,” an important song that shifted the vibe of the evening. The song is a loud political song and calls out leaders all around the world for corrupt practices. Some fanbases may be met with silence with this kind of song, but MUNA Nation does not hesitate to sing and shout about their frustrations.
After their political stand, MUNA immediately continued with their gay anthems, with Gavin even joking about how fans should be “lucky” she’s still grinding on her bandmates despite her family being in the audience. Switching modes, the band took a slower approach with songs like “Buzzkiller” and “Kind of Girl.” These songs influenced the audience to take out their flashlights to sway along.
MUNA closed out their set with the classic lesbian anthem, “Silk Chiffon.” Although they did not bring out the featured Phoebe Bridgers and instead had Naomi sing the featured verse, the fans shouted the song all the same, saying a farewell to their favorite lesbian band for the night.
