Maruja on their “life-affirming” year and punk’s anniversary: “Do what you think is right and share that with the world”

Maruja saxophonist and vocalist Joe Carroll has spoken to NME about playing the 50th anniversary of The 100 Club’s Punk Special, and the whirlwind year since the release of their debut album.

READ MORE: Maruja’s sprawling jazz-punk offers solidarity in the face of disorder Taking place tonight (September 21), this is the second of two gigs commemorating 50 years of the iconic venue’s now-legendary two day festival , which has hosted the likes of Sex Pistols , The Clash , Siouxsie And The Banshees , The Damned , Buzzcocks and plenty more.

Following on from last night’s headliners Sprints , Maruja will headline the event tonight London post-punk sextet Opus Kink ,with ticket prices also going back to 1976 and just £1.50 each.

Carroll told NME that the Punk Special anniversary has “definitely come at a very fitting time”.

“Ed Sheeran and Macklemore are definitely at the forefront of our conversations at the moment,” he reasoned, after the Seattle rapper was removed from Sheeran’s tour due to his “Free Palestine” speech at the Gillette Stadium.

The venue’s owner, billionaire Robert Kraft, threatened to ban future Sheeran shows at venues across the US if Macklemore stayed on the tour.

Maruja, who are vocally pro-Palestine , told NME that they hoped the furore surrounding Macklemore would direct people “back to what is actually going on in Palestine and using this as a kick up the arse – constantly using your voice, putting pressure on your local MPs and going to rallies”, adding that this “isn’t about Macklemore and Ed Sheeran”.

“You get misled that you have to pick a side, but this is a genocide,” Carroll continued.

“There shouldn’t be any ‘picking a side’, it’s just basic human morality”.

Check out the rest of our interview below, where Maruja spoke to NME about the recent one year anniversary of their rallying debut album ‘ Pain To Power’ , how they’ve witnessed its lyrics resonate with fans, what it means to be a punk in 2026, and how support act Opus Kink once challenged them to a duel.

Maruja live at Glastonbury 2025.

Credit: Andy Ford for NME NME: Hello Joe.

It’s been one year since ‘Pain To Power’ came out.

How has your life changed since? Joe Carroll: “I feel like we’re in a unique position where we had two EPs that allowed us to tour the world, but having a full body of work has always been the big dream of ours.