“Are we ready, Boston?” hollered Joe Carroll. No, this was not a WWE match. This was the U.K.-based band Maruja’s saxophonist introducing their Sept. 22 concert at Cambridge’s The Sinclair.

While I waited for the doors to open, fans around me filed into a line that wrapped around the corner of Church Street. One enthusiast held their “Pain to Power” record close to their chest, however, they were more than happy to show it off to a fellow fan.

Kicking off their “Pain to Power Tour” in Boston, the energy from the crowd for the majority of the night was riveting. It disappointed me, though, to see so much empty space in the pit for the unique Boston-based shoegaze/punk band Main Era. 

Audio snippets of news reports, like when Josh Kraft dropped out of the Boston mayoral race, allowed for nearly seamless transitions between songs and enhanced their meanings. As someone who was unfamiliar with Main Era prior to the show, their cohesiveness and thoughtfulness throughout the performance left me with a new band to listen to. 

After some rearranging of equipment, it was time for Maruja to take the stage and grab the attention of the crowd. “Open the f— up!” demanded lead singer Harry Wilkinson.

Wilkinson burst from backstage wearing a hoodie that read “Grand Theft Palestine,” a play on the popular video game series Grand Theft Auto. Their simple yet purposeful stage design had a Palestinian flag, along with two keffiyehs, or Palestinian scarves, tied to the drum kit.  

The energy felt in the Sinclair that night was unmatched. From extreme moshing during songs like their hit “Trenches,” to standing in awe of somber, jazz-heavy tracks like “Saoirse,” the audience indulged in the vibe Maruja was looking for. 

Wilkinson made a speech prior to their nearly ten-minute long song “Look Down On Us:” “They try to blame the immigrants, but we know it’s the billionaires not paying taxes,” he remarked as they riled up the bouncy crowd. The heavy-hitting bass drum accompanied by the dark, edgy saxophone highlighted the chorus of the song and reflected the singer’s previous message. 

Maruja closed out the show with their instrumental track “Resisting Resistance,” with Wilkinson yelling another message for the crowd: 

“We stand with the people of Yemen. We stand with the people of Sudan. We stand with the people of Ukraine. We stand with the people of Palestine.” 

By honoring the political origins of punk rock, Maruja brought a peaceful musical protest from the U.K. to the Sinclair.