'The dogs were getting upset': How LA band Muna survived their worst ever gig - BBC News

The group discuss disastrous gigs, putting political action into music and the meaning of "queer pop".

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Muna's concert for rescue dogs didn't go according to plan

Music correspondentPublished25 July 2026, 00:01 BSTEvery band has to earn its stripes. Some have it harder than others.

At AC/DC's first gig, the club owner cut the power because they were too noisy. Sam Smith started at barn dances, singing on top of a haystack. At Robert Smith's first concert, he got so drunk that he sang David Bowie's Suffragette City while the rest of the band played Jimi Hendrix's Foxy Lady.

But LA pop trio Muna can top them all.

At the start of their career, the band got a call from their record label. We know you've just flown overnight from London, they said, but you have to get to Las Vegas.