The dogs were getting upset. They howled the whole time. That was Muna’s first big gig – Pet-A-Palooza, a dog adoption festival in Las Vegas, booked by a record label that wanted radio support for their new single. The trio had just flown overnight from London, were all sick, and ended up playing an acoustic set with no sound guy. Guitar feedback produced an unholy screech. “We were mortified,” recalls guitarist Josette Maskin. “But looking back, it is so funny.”
That canine catastrophe is now a dot in the rear-view mirror. Over the past decade, Muna – completed by guitarist-producer Naomi McPherson and singer Katie Gavin – have become one of the most compelling live bands around, blending punk, electronics and 80s pop. Their fans include Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, who handpicked them to support on tour. They were won over by anthems like *I Know A Place*, a hug for the LGBTQ community, and the introspective *Stayaway*, where Gavin locks herself in her bedroom to avoid temptations linked to an ex.
“Muna's first big gig was a dog adoption festival where howling rescue dogs drowned out their acoustic set.”
Their momentum nearly crashed in 2020 when RCA Records dropped them, citing pandemic-era cost-cutting. “That’s obviously one where we had to put our heads together and be like, ‘OK, we want to continue doing this. Let’s just make an album and we’ll figure it out’,” says McPherson. That album, simply titled *Muna*, was released in 2021 by indie star Phoebe Bridgers, who swooped in to sign them to her Saddest Factory label. Bridgers also provided guest vocals.
For Maskin, the dog concert is a reminder of the bond forged through disaster: “I’ve gotten to share those experiences with some of my best friends, and that’s what life is really about.”