Mannequin Pussy has had an explosive year since the release of their fourth album, I Got Heaven, in March. The Philadelphia four-piece consists of Colins “Bear” Regisford (bass, vocals), Kaleen Reading (drums, percussion), Maxine Steen (guitar, synths), and Marisa “Missy” Dabice (guitar, vocals). They’ve been touring nonstop all over the world since April, and wound down the tour with a brief run on the east coast. I caught their recent show in Baltimore!
Militarie Gun opened up the show at Baltimore Soundstage on Jan. 31, and I previously saw open for Knocked Loose in November. They were just as I remember– lots of high jumps and movement– especially from frontman Ian Shelton. They opened with “Big Disappointment” off their 2023 record, Life Under The Gun, which was previously released on their 2021 EP, All Roads Lead to The Gun II. Shelton briefly slowed the mood down to say “this song goes out to anyone that’s been struggling” and that it’s hard to ask for help. They played their 2024 single “Thought You Were Waving,” which definitely has a 2000s emo vibe to it. The crowd’s hands went up and swayed from side to side.
The energy accelerated again for “Never Fucked Up Once” where Shelton demanded the crowd jump along. Shelton reminisced about the last time they were in Baltimore (Ottobar Upstairs), and how there were five or so people there. They played “Dislocate Me” and “Disposable Plastic Trash” from some of their demos, which had a distinct hardcore-punk feel. They announced that they’re going to start recording a new record in the following weeks, and played two unreleased songs: “B A D I D E A” and “World’s Always Burning.” Throughout the set, Shelton commanded “I want you up here,” encouraging the crowd to mosh and surf together. Militarie Gun closed with the track “Do It Faster,” which finally got the crowd surfers going.
Watch the official music video for “Do It Faster” by Militarie Gun on YouTube:
Mannequin Pussy took the stage to NLE Choppa’s “Slut me out 2” with frontwoman Missy commanding the stage, rocking a sleek red dress and combat boots. They kicked off with the I Got Heaven track “Softly,” which begins gently and ramps up into freeing screams that the audience was immediately akin to. Missy commented that her mom is from Baltimore, and that her grandfather ran a record store in the city in the ’70s. Missy also took a moment to say if the Eagles hadn’t made it as far as they have this season, they would’ve loved to see the Ravens make it. This garnered copious amounts of cheering.
The band played two of my favorites, “Denial” and “Control,” back to back after saying they were going to play some of their older discography. The next song, “Drunk II” from the 2019 album Patience is another favorite — an indie rock gut-puncher about the aftermath of a breakup. It’s raw, and painfully relatable at times. Missy dedicated the next song, “I Don’t Know You” to the city of Baltimore — one of their more playful tracks about having a crush.
Missy took a moment to reflect upon I Got Heaven’s upcoming anniversary, and how in that time they’ve taken their tour to 14 countries. “I think it’s time we get a little reacquainted,” said Missy in a sultry voice, “no matter where we go, people are so uncomfortable with the word pussy.” She remarked, “I think it’s that people are quite afraid of a raw femininity.”
Playfully, Missy said, “What kind of sick f–k guy comes to a Mannequin Pussy show?” Missy then demanded all the boys in the crowd scream the word “pussy,” which made me giggle just a little bit. “I’m having trouble hearing you boys […] everything is so much more powerful, everything is so much more alive when it’s all of our voices invited in on something.” The whole room came together in unison to scream “pussy” as the band transitioned into “Loud Bark,” one of their best songs to scream along to. It begins with a bendy guitar riff and breathy lyrics that escalates into an exorcising scream of “LOUD BARK, DEEP BITE.”
Mannequin Pussy kept the momentum going with the title track “I Got Heaven,” where the crowd energy reached its peak. I saw the first crowd surfer go up, and promptly right back down, but right back up again. There were several 360 tumbles atop the crowd. A few more bodies popped up here and there, but overall, there was not nearly as much crowd surfing as I expected. At The Atlantis in DC back in May 2024, the crowd surfing and moshing seemed nonstop — not saying one crowd was better than the other — just an observation.
Watch the official music video for “I Got Heaven” by Mannequin Pussy on YouTube:
Before the song “Pledge,” Missy stated “I want you to be aware of all the propaganda that America pretends to be,” then screaming a drawn out “I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO MYSELF!” The song “Of Her” kept the moshing going with the crowd chanting “CONTROL! CONTROL!” along with the band. The track “Aching” blended in seamlessly toward the end with the power refusing to die. I think this is where Mannequin Pussy is at their strongest; the two-minute max, classic power-chord punk scream-alongs. “Everything,” I thought, emulated Joan Jett, but turned up to an 11. “Perfect” from the 2021 EP Perfect is a response to the Covid-19 lockdown, and the effect of staring at screens watching seemingly perfect people live their perfect lives.
Missy brought back the whispery voice “Because this is the part of the show where we invite you to partake in a primal group scream with us. All I ask is don’t be shy.” She gave a 3, 2, 1 countdown to the scream and the band cascaded into “OK? OK! OK? OK!” which features Colins “Bear” Regisford on the mic. Bear’s big moment is during “Pigs Is Pigs,” which was another result of Covid-19 era civil unrest and a general “f– you” to the police. Before the song, Bear said, “You can’t own stolen land […] all we need is community. I love each and every one of you. It’s our government that’s bullshit, not our country.”
The band announced they were approaching their final two songs of the evening and said: “It has been far too long since we have played Baltimore. Thank you all so much for selling this show out. Unbelievable honor to be in this space as you.” Their final two songs were “Emotional High” and “Romantic,” the latter which was dedicated to anyone who came to the show alone.
10/10 recommend a Mannequin Pussy show — especially in shit times like these — truly a cathartic and wholesome experience.
Here are some photos of Mannequin Pussy performing at Baltimore Soundstage on July 31, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Carolin Harvey.
And here are some photos of Militarie Gun opening Mannequin Pussy at Baltimore Soundstage on July 31, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Carolin Harvey.
