MUNA bring the sad bangers for Reading 2023

Words: Abigail Firth.Photos: Frances Beach, Patrick Gunning.

Thoroughly warmed up from a summer of playing stadium shows with Taylor Swift, a Main Stage slot is no problem for MUNA, and there’s no better way to shake off the Sunday cobwebs than with a turbo run of sad bangers. Bounding out to ‘What I Want’, the trio bring only the biggest smashes for their debut Reading performance.

Their rapid rise since the release of their self-titled record last year, they’ve dominated stages worldwide ever since, getting better every time. Still pulling the pop monsters from their earlier records, ‘Number One Fan’ is a riot, while ‘I Know A Place’, dedicated to the trans and queer kids in the audience, brings in MUNA’s core message amongst the bangers.

The other side of MUNA - the sad soft pop songs for sissies, as their merch declares - is distinctly lacking, even ‘Home By Now’ gets a beefier electro cut, but it isn’t what this set calls for. It’s a hard and fast hammering home that they’re The Greatest Band In The World who deserve every inch of the crowd they’ve pulled on this rainy Sunday afternoon.

There’s silliness and sexiness in equal measure (Stacy the inflatable horse comes out and gets tossed into the crowd for a ride, but not before Katie Gavin grinds on it), and by the time ‘Silk Chiffon’ comes around to close the set, it’s another win for the gays.