Philly Indie-Punks Mannequin Pussy have become increasingly more mainstream-adjacent with their latest LP “Patience,” seeing the track “Drunk II” going viral on TikTok, and two of their tracks featured on the HBO Series “Mare of Eastown.” The group followed up with an EP entitled “Perfect” to label Epitaph Records. On their newest release, the band’s sound has expanded far more with more synths, samplers, and some slower paced songs. However, that did not mean Mannequin Pussy’s set was bogged down by any ballads, with the band keeping a tight set of about an hour of tracks from their self-titled debut and previous three records. 

Ben Katzman’s Degreaser shreds 1980s MTV era hair metal for the quarter life crisis. With massive riffs and lyrics decrying working day jobs as well as,  the worst poseur of them all– the internal poseur, Katzman commands the stage behind sunglasses and a flying V guitar. The Miami locals have been performing with Mannequin Pussy for years, and keep the band thankfully coming back to the Magic City tour after tour. 

Jacksonville-based band Gilt are a young quartet of post-hardcore punks who are unafraid to wear their penchant for emo rock on their sleeves. Lead by singer Ash Stixx (they/them) and guitarist Tyler Fieldhouse (they/them) the two perform as a quartet live. While the band looks quite new, the group recalled a story on stage wherein they performed at Miami’s former local mainstay punk club Churchill’s Pub, and ended up paying $5 for parking from a “parking attendant.” With deeply cathartic lyrics about trauma and gender dysphoria, their set was backed with impeccable musicianship especially from drummer Ali Reed whose brutal riffs feel simultaneously calculated and entirely improvised. 

In December 2019, Mannequin Pussy was a four-piece band performing in the Magic City to promote their record “Patience” that saw the band combine their punk sound with more of an indie rock direction. When that gained them far more exposure during the 2020 lockdowns, the group used the time off the road to develop a new sound on the EP “Perfect.” While original founding member Athanasios Paul left the group, the trio added guitarist Max Steen and Carolyn Haynes on synths/guitar/backing vocals. Kicking off with “In Love Again,” the band kept the energy at a mid-tempo before reaching the raucous tracks “Cream” and “Pledge.” Though the band does ascribe to the punk rock oeuvre, rowdy fans trying to stage dive off the towering, 2 foot high Gramps stage were met with less willing crowd members to catch them and instead knocking singer/guitarist Missy Dabice’s can of water onto her pedals. “If this electrocutes me, I’m going down there and kicking your ass” Dabice exclaimed on the mic, adamant about the role occupied between performer and audience members. “Consent is not just about what you do in the bedroom” she proclaimed so succinctly, especially for the crowd members that don’t know their place. However, this remark isn’t out of character for Dabice, who on a show that happened only days after the reported striking down of Roe v Wade brought an energy of vitriol channeled into the band’s performance. With a tight set of tunes that clocks in under an hour, the band concludes their show with the track “Pigs is Pigs” sung by bassist Colins “Bear” Regisford. As a black artist, Bear captures the feeling of anxiety in the world specifically just existing during 2020 when between the pandemic, hate crimes against black individuals like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor were on the rise.

Mannequin Pussy capture a broad spectrum of emotions with an acute awareness of the personal and political, that make for cathartic tracks and an absolutely fun, high energy show. Catch them on tour this year before they go into the studio to work on LP4.  

Full Mannequin Pussy Gallery Here

In Love Again
Control
Patience
Drunk II
Cream
Pledge
Romantic
High Horse
Someone Like You
Meatslave One
Emotional High
Everything
Kiss
Perfect
Clue
CLAMS
F.U.C.A.W.
Pigs Is Pigs