Reviews: Mannequin Pussy/Jack White
Two wildly different artists took the stage this week and I loved both.
I’m not a big concert goer … usually. In fact, I think this past week doubled my total number of concerts for the year: I saw Queens Of The Stone Age at Spark Arena back in February, and Troy Kingi at Double Whammy in July - plus comedy shows from Jerry Seinfeld (June) and Trevor Noah (November).
But I felt I needed to see these two acts. One is my front-runner for Best Album Of 2024; the other released a stellar album but I was swung by his live reviews, which elevated his show to Must-See status - and fortunately Did-See.
Anyways, rather than spam you with posts all week, here is a quick review of each show - both of which I loved.
Mannequin Pussy
Friday 13 December, The Tuning Fork
It was a night of firsts - not just the first time I’ve seen Mannequin Pussy live, but the first time I’ve attended a show at The Tuning Fork, and the first time I’d caught up with the main man Chris “Boiler Room” Schulz in a number of years; we met up for a couple of pre-show beers before heading to the show.
The show was marked as a sellout but it felt like it was only half-full as the band took the stage, singer Missy Dabice grabbing the mic without a word before they launched into four mid-album tracks from I Got Heaven. The new album is a noticeable step up in composition, and that was obvious as soon as they switched into a pair of tracks from previous album Patience, and “Control”, the opener from their 2021 EP Perfect. The old stuff is still great - it absolutely rocks in a live setting - but the new stuff is meant for bigger venues than this.
Dabice spoke to the crowd for a bit before launching into “Loud Bark”, maybe the best song from I Got Heaven, and a track that it stadium ready. More talking to the crowd followed: Dabice has a sultry speaking voice on stage - Chris rightly described it as ASMR-like - but the message is clear: as a group, they have a problem with anyone who is against true freedom, the freedom to be who you want and live how you want to live.
They also get into trouble for the second part of their name, Dabice explains before revealing its usually males who have an issue; she playfully has the men in the room yell ‘PUSSY’ as loud as possible before getting the women to join in, making a point that the effect is better when everyone has a voice.
From there it was all out punk rock - “Of Her” and “Aching” from the new album, then a slew of highlights from their earlier releases: “Everything”, “Perfect, “Clams”, and “Pigs Is Pigs”, the affecting screamo song written by bass player Colins Regisford, a black man. I started to overheat, so retreated to fetch a cold drink and found a bunch of middle aged white men sitting at the back on their phones; presumably they were chaperoning their kids.
They closed the set with “Romantic”, the title track from their breakout 2016 album, which I’m sure pleased the girl behind me who had been screaming for it throughout the set. A helluva closer, and then they were done; no encores for this band, who correctly point out how silly the whole charade is.
Based on this gig, and based on the set list, it seems to me that Mannequin Pussy are ready to level up. Hopefully next time they visit, it’ll be an arena.
The full set list is available here.
Jack White
Tuesday 17 December, Auckland Town Hall
The hype for this show started earlier in the day when one of the two reviews of his Powerstation gig used the words “god mode” in its headline. Then, as I was driving into the city, I pulled up at the traffic lights next to a guy in a silver Mazda thrashing “Blue Orchid” and “The Hardest Button To Button” and playing air guitar in the front seat of his car. It was oddly endearing.
The line to get in when doors opened at 7pm stretched from the Auckland Town Hall, down Queen Street, and past where I was eating Burger Fuel for dinner. One thing I noticed: the age range of the punters - stretching from a surprising number of kids under ten, right through to ZZ Top-looking guys in various blues guitarist t-shirts. I also saw a guy in a Queens Of The Stone Age tee, which made me chuckle; Jack filled in for Queens after they were forced to pulled out of a stretch of shows due to illness back in July and August.
He took the stage here just after 9pm, bathed in blue and white light, immediately launching into a jam that turned into a cover of The Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog”, and then the sound from the stage simply didn’t stop for over an hour. Even when White switched guitars, his backing band - which notably included Raconteurs collaborator Patrick Keeler on drums, and session legend Dominic Davis on bass - kept the beat going.
The music just did not stop. “That’s How I’m Feeling” from his brilliant 2024 release No Home led straight into the White Stripes’ “Black Math”; “Hotel Yorba” led straight into the Raconteurs’ “Top Yourself”. Solo highlights like “Sixteen Saltines” mixed into a string of White Stripes and Raconteurs hits, punctuated by the one-two punch of “The Hardest Button To Button” and “My Doorbell”, and a main set ending “Steady As She Goes”.
White played ferociously, like he was worried he may never get to play the guitar again after this and needed to throw everything he had at the crowd. I’ll be honest, I snobbishly dismissed the White Stripes early on. But I was won over by White solo work and collab with the Raconteurs. It was clear that White is an incredible guitarist with a knack for rock composition.
As I get older, I find I appreciate live musicianship more and, after seeing him play last night, its hard not to think he is one of the best to ever do it. White riffed endlessly, breaking into lead breaks that showed his innate talent for the form, while keeping the crowd engaged with frequent call-and-response vocals and ‘you okay out there’ style quips. (And, for the gear heads, he did it using a trio of parallel-connected, miked-up Fender 2x12 combo amps. Insane.)
After a short break, the band led White back to the stage for an encore of solo tracks, including the title track from 2014’s Lazaretto, and a trio of highlights from No Name, including the brilliant “Archbishop Harold Holmes”.
And then they played “Seven Nation Army”.
Look, I don’t want to suggest that “Seven Nation Army” - White closer throughout these tour - is the greatest song ever made.
But I will speak what I do know: “Seven Nation Army” is White’s most famous song, and a cultural touchstone. I would venture to say that the guitar/bass riff is one of the most famous ever. And there is something elevating about hearing an artist play (one of) their culturally significant most famous song in a live setting that makes it akin to a religious experience.
It happened when I heard Pearl Jam play “Daughter” in 2007; it happened when I heard U2 play “With Or Without You” in 2009; it happened when I heard Fleetwood Mac play “Go Your Own Way” in 2015. And it happened last night.
There was a moment in the second verse where White had the crowd sing that infamous riff while he sang along; it felt like every voice in the hall was united as one. It felt elevating. It felt unifying. It felt religious.
And then he was done. The headline used the words ‘god mode’ and I worried before going in that it was needlessly hyperbolic. Now, as I write this, my ears still ringing, I wonder if ‘god mode’ isn’t an understatement.
Thanks for reading, as always :)
Just two posts left for the year now, My Week In Music on Friday, and my countdown of my favourite albums of the year on Saturday.
See you then! Chris
Thanks for the great reviews
The Mannequin Pussy album gives me Neil Young and Crazy Horse vibes, it should make for great live sets! If only those phone-going dudes could make that connection.