PHOTOS & REVIEW: MANNEQUIN PUSSY @ THE SINCLAIR 5/13

Photography and Review by Lucy McCabe

I’d like to think that a hearty amount of barking is key to any good show, and Mannequin Pussy makes good on this experience. There was even some soft woofing. The lead singer of Philly-based Mannequin Pussy, Marisa Dabice, certainly has a loud bark (and a rough bite), and bared her teeth this past Monday night at the Sinclair in Harvard Square.

 It was the first of two shows at the beloved venue for the Philly based rock band. There are currently five members comprising the powerhouse. Colins Regisford, otherwise known as “Bear,” on bass, keyboardist Carolyn Haynes, lead guitarist Maxine Steen, and Maria Dabice on vocals.

Steen shredded her Flying V guitar, finger tapping and picking hypnotic, heart pumping riffs all through the night. It was heartwarming to see the “My Neighbor Totoro” tattoo on her ankle peek out as she switched up reverb and tone on her pedal board in between each song. 

One thing to note: both shows at The Sinclair sold out before Mannequin Pussy’s new record, “I Got Heaven,” even came out. Dabice addressed the crowd as “my sweet babies” after dropping this impressive tidbit. She asked the crowd important existential questions, marveling at the fact that we all wound up in the same room together. She spoke with breath, drawing out each syllable with a lustful tone that had her audience hanging on every word.

 The awe that fascinated Dabice, about our collective existence at The Sinclair, came out of “cathartic importance,” extrapolated on in a monologue that divided the show into two major parts. Dabice got to the bottom of why we were all there. 

“To examine our pain, individually and collectively, as we feel it. One night to be able to experience cathartic joy in a world that makes it very difficult to do so.” She goes on to say that “this is a world that has no time for your pain and anger. It tries to infantilize and demonize the anger. If you want to be respected and heard, you must express yourself in the manner and tone that they have chosen for us. But oh my God, f— that! There is nothing more sane than the anger that you feel. There is nothing more real than the anger that is inside you,” said Dabice.

Dabice examined the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict as part of her commentary on what it means to be a human right now. She summarized her views into one statement yelled righteously into the crowd, “I do not respect any religion that does not just let people f—ing live!” The crowd roared, and the bartender behind me started clapping. 

The second set begins, and a crowd surfer makes it to the stage. They do not stand on the stage, instead flowing back into the middle of the pit. It was the longest crowd surf I have ever seen, which fits the bill at a high energy show like this. They chose to wrap up with one of their hits, “Romantic,” off their 2016 album of the same title. It is a joy to be at a Mannequin Pussy show, and the sustained moshing from the audience from set start to finish was the perfect demonstration of the collective release of anger.