“Yeah, I’m a fan of the band.” - Jason Mantzoukas
Yes, even the crazed actor of the U.S. TV series Brooklyn 99 burrowed in the background of this venue had words to say of this punk-rock, post-grunge band hailing from Philadelphia, Mannequin Pussy.
With a repertoire as bolshy and confrontational as their name, the latest single from their recent third LP, ‘Drunk II’, initially caught my attention with its ballad-esque / alternative-punk sheen similar to that of Green Day. Strewn throughout their latest LP, Patience, the band’s bludgeoning punk aesthetic combined with frontwoman Marisa Dabice’s confessional lyricism acted as a serial force of nature. And so, I was more than anxious to see if Mantzoukas’ admiration of the band would ring true in the ensuing hour or so set.
Patience is ultimately what began Pussy’s set, exuding a more refined indie-rock landscape attached to Dabice’s emotionally-burgeoned vocals barely shimmering to the surface in ‘Who You Are’. As experienced on multiple occasions at this particular venue, the sound levelling and mixing never quite sufficed - especially against the cacophony of distortions and screams of this post-grunge band. In spite of this, the band continued their frenetic demeanour in a similar sonic vein to Sonic Youth or Pixies of their heyday featuring unremitting remarks in ‘Cream’ such as “I was standing at the gates of my hell.”
Inevitably as the set evolved, so too did their sound - relapsing into their previous LP of 2016, Romantic. With a severely lo-fi, punkier, punchier facade to Dabice’s vignettes of outburst, tracks such as ‘Emotional High’, ‘Denial, and ‘Meatslave One’ rarely featured for more than 2 minutes in total. Yet the overall lyrical narrative from Dabice’s past relationships and romantic endeavours furthered their set for the better, even if their grunge repertoire had already been numerously repeated in previous decades by other such noteworthy acts of the 90s and 00s.
“Maybe we should scream together?”
What remained noteworthy amongst this incandescent set portrayed by Dabice and her cohorts came at the set’s mid-section with a rousing chorus of uninterrupted, unfiltered, orchestrated screaming with the entirety of the crowd. With a great sense of relief and calm restored, the ensuing rendition of the atmospheric track ‘High Horse’ proved more than apt respite for the subdued crowd revelling in its electronic reverberations.
It seemed almost a foregone conclusion that this band would ultimately finish with a flurry of unadulterated anger and abrasion. “Come on and spit in my face” remained the catalyst of energy for ‘FUCAW’ with the frenetic guitar triplets and drum clashes, whilst ‘In Love Again’s lightly-toned, Sunny Day Real Estate-esque style helped bring us down from Dabice’s clouds of incandescent anger and toward a more positively romantic world. “I’m so happy laying here with you” marked as a stark difference to Dabice’s enraged repertoire, particularly over the previous hour or so of this set, respectfully at peace with her past demons.
Amidst a pool of post-grunge and alt-punk, Jason’s confidants culminated their set for tonight. Whilst the sound mixing of The Dome proved inadequately shallow at points, Dabice’s expressionistic, sensual, and enticing demeanour proved as the infallible lynchpin to this band. Adding her biting tongue to the volatile environment conjured amongst their repertoire, it certainly seemed as if Jason had every right to find something captivating with Mannequin Pussy. One thing’s for sure, if you’re a fan of Jason’s frenetic acting then you should certainly find something intriguing about this band’s equally frenetic sound.
7/10
Mannequin Pussy's latest LP, Patience, is out now and can be found here.