Mannequin Pussy Takes on Gov Ball “After Dark”
june 7th, 2025 - brooklyn, new york
Missy,
Lead singer of Mannequin Pussy
After a hot and rainy weekend at New York’s infamous Governors Ball, concert goers could escape indoors to watch some of the performing artists play extra shows at Gov Ball’s “After Dark” events. In a more intimate environment than Gov Ball’s home in Corona Park, the music didn’t stop after the festival closed its gates each night, allowing for those who also missed out on tickets to get a taste of the lineup. On Saturday June 7th, Mannequin Pussy graced the stage of the Warsaw in Brooklyn NY, with openers Deux Visages, to kick off Gov Ball’s day 2 of After Dark festivities. Warsaw, a smaller-sized venue in Brooklyn, sports a low stage that immerses the crowd in performances, bringing them closer to the artists. Beginning as a Polish National Home, which hosted events for the Polish community in and around New York City, Warsaw was then established as a venue in 2001, hosting punk and Indie shows to raise funds for its community. With the tagline “Where Pierogis Meet Punk.”, the charming venue sells pierogis along with merch in the back room while bands perform.
The sold-out, all-ages show began at 10:00 PM and came to a close at 1:00 AM, drawing in a diverse crowd of young and old, many with incredibly muddy shoes from their day spent battling the rain at Gov Ball. Deux Visages, self-proclaimed “girl rock” from Philadelphia, opened up with a short but sweet set. Their high energy sound was crucial in keeping the crowd awake before Mannequin Pussy performed at 11:45 PM.
As the lights dimmed to pink and the background music faded, Mannequin Pussy took the stage with power. A force to be reckoned with, the band is led by “Missy” Marisa Debice, and backed by Guitarist, Maxine Steen, Bassist, Colins “Bear” Regisford, and drummer, Kaleen Reading. The quartet is commanding and unforgettable. Missy’s animated style of performance guarantees the audience’s attention. Beginning their set with their more pop-oriented tracks such as “Sometimes” and “Control”, Mannequin Pussy was just getting warmed up. As Missy announces that the pop is “over”, the band swings full force into “Loud Bark”, before further diving into the other music from their discography, which has a heavier sound and harsher vocals. The exciting part about Mannequin Pussy is that they can play both genres well, switching from more intense sounds back to hushed melodies with ease, as they hold onto the crowd’s wild energy.
At one point during the performance, Missy quiets down the crowd to address the men in the audience, a ritual at their shows. She urges them to scream “pussy” as loud as they can, to challenge the uncomfortability they may feel towards the word. And like clockwork at each show, she tells them their attempt was pathetic, looping in the women to then help them out. The whole crowd then screams “pussy” in unison. It is undoubtedly a fun moment, but most importantly, it is an example of how the band stands for empowerment in every sense, calling for equality and respect in the spaces they create with their music.
Mannequin Pussy is immensely important in the music industry today, creating inclusive spaces for everyone to dance and scream in protest of all that may going wrong in our world. Catch them on the continuation of their I Got Heaven tour and their opening dates for Turnstile in a city near you.
