Muto Leo

Muto Leo are tonight's bright young things. And having caught our attention during May's Liverpool Sound City we were eager to capture an extended workout.

And, boy, were we glad. Again, like all tonight's bands, they wear their influences like a badge of honour - but do they wear it well.

The quartet are post-punk extremists; think Foals jacked on a cocktail of anabolic steroids and hi-grade dextroamphetamine. They're a punishing watch - tight as a drum, and fast as fuck - if this is mathletics, it's like watching the 4x100m relay on a 30 minute loop.

Faster, faster and faster again. Strings are popped and bass notes are panged before drummer Luke Butterfield splutters a 'shit, it's fucking roasting..' after smashing another tom much to the delight of their healthy home support.

We'd suggest next time he removes his hoodie. We'd also suggest they throw in a slight change of pace and maybe a few tricks which Yannis and his Foals crew haven't already mastered.

But for now, Muto Leo are pretty much on the money.

- Peter Guy/Getintothis

Muto Leo - Dragon Room

As perfect as Ellen and the Escapades were, I was looking for a bit more fire. I was looking to get burned. More than that, I was in search of the smouldering breath of the Muto Leo riffs and keys. The Dragon Room was next on the list of hitters and by golly these guys know how to lay shit down. They’re so hot that vocals just go right on out of the window. These guys are about the music delivering crazy high end fret board finger burning guitar.



(image: muto leo)

This knitted up post punk indie four piece hailing from Cheshire regions have made a more than understandable impression on the scene recently with features in Bido Lito and by being a main component in some well put together gigs in the city. As soon as the set started the crowd began to fill up the CUC’s oriental styled dragon room and they just kept coming. I was a tad surprised at first but man, now I know why. If I was Jackie Chan the only auricular words I could probably mumble from the Muto sounds would have been ‘hory shet’. These guys really do know how to play music. But more than that, these guys know how to present music. Indie lads, indie jumpers, indie hair, indie music… rock attitude! Licks and beats were being blasted all over the joint to the point I could feel the wooden planked floor shake beneath my feet as if the room’s resident dragon had been summoned from it’s slumber and was ready to take us all on a fiery journey that is Muto Leo. If that beast had come out ripped my head off, I wouldn’t have given a flying dragony fuck. Muto would have been in my blood stream quicker and they were half way to blowing my head off anyway.

Glass - (Live Recording at Aerial Studios) by Muto Leo

Who needs vocals when you have that sort of impact on a room? Not Muto. What’s surprising is that these guys are an instrumental band for the most part and they still manage to maintain attention from the transfixed eyes of the crowd. It’s hard to believe a band creating such music would be able to entertain for a full 30-45 minute set but these guys do it. I believe it’s down to the variety, the jump from action to eerie, the almost story telling nature of the music that allows you to envision an image in your head and follow the movie like thought as it blossoms in to tale you don’t want to leave. At one point I felt like I was driving along a dark country road, driving to my impending doom with only Muto Leo’s electric cries and bass drum beat to keep me company on my envisioned demise. It felt Hitchcock-y. That’s the power these guys have.


(This track has vocals)

However, as much as I did enjoy it I did notice one guy looking at his watch which I thought was disappointing. Bad times. But then as he caught my eye again it became clear he was just showing it off to his mate and once finished went back in to a crouched front crawl style dance. Good times. I think another key to the success of Muto Leo’s set is that fact that the music is almost none stop. Track goes in to track and into track pulling you along on a whirl wind of variety in what eventually comes to be one long piece. I was with blog contributor, Aaron, and at the end of the set he cooly turned around to me and said “They stole a riff from Biffy”. I just think he was jealous. He had that kind of vibe. To me these were one of if not the highlight of my night. I loved these guys and hope to see them again soon.

- ManGoneBlog