Pinkshift and Mannequin Pussy: Shifting the Narrative of Pop Punk
Ashrita Kumar, Pinkshift’s lead singer, performing opening for Mannequin Pussy at The Sinclair
Images courtesy of Julia Federing // @julia.federing
Angry. Bold. Free.
Opening for Mannequin Pussy on October 27, Pinkshift impressed the audience at The Sinclair with a plethora of new and vibrant energies, providing a narrative for this generation. Fronted by South Asian lead singer Ashrita Kumar, Pinkshift comprises a diverse group of musicians: Black drummer Myron Houngbedji, Latino guitarist Paul Vallejo and bassist Erich Weinroth. As pop punk shifts from its mainly white demographic, led by bands like Panic! At the Disco and Paramore at its peak, to a more diverse set of voices and a wider audience, Pinkshift is unapologetic about both their presence on stage and in the industry, proving through their performance that they are here for a good time.
Upon arriving, Kumar and Vallejo stood at their merch table before playing their set. Exchanging words with photographer Julia Federing, Kumar shared that the band met and formed during their time in undergrad at Johns Hopkins University. As a band native to Baltimore, Pinkshift has been anxiously waiting to get back to sharing their music and performing, since pre-quarantine attempts at small house shows in Baltimore had been shut down due to health and safety precautions.
As Pinkshift walked on stage, they provided the crowd with excitement and spirit, with Houngbedji hidden behind a skull mask for a Halloween-esque energy on top of Kumar’s “Demolish White Supremacy” shirt with images of devilish cupid-angels. After their first song, it was immediately clear that the atmosphere of this band was casual; it was as if we were watching a jam session in their practice space. You could feel their chemistry as they sang not just to the crowd, but to each other, and danced around the stage, carefree, like they were in their childhood bedrooms and nobody was watching.
Pinkshift’s youthful energy—from Kumar’s mushroom earrings to her black, chained platform Crocs—transferred to the crowd when they shared their unreleased song, “Get Out of My Face,” and woke up the audience to the fact that Pinkshift was not here to be nice. Following the number, Kumar yelled to the whole venue, “You guys aren’t angry enough!”, truly firing up her audience. Proceeding, Pinkshift performed one of their most popular songs, “On Thin Ice,” jumping up and down as if they were going to crash the stage and singing, “We’re crashing any time now/This ice is pretty thin.”
By including more unreleased songs like “Cherry'' and “Crapple,” Pinkshift created a bond with their audience—there was this unexpected feeling of community, which carried on when Mannequin Pussy came to the stage. (For example, “Crapple” is a name in progress and Kumar was more than open to song suggestions from the crowd, further contributing to this feeling of connection and community between crowd and performers.) These songs were, as Kumar put it, “quarantine beats” that were birthed from a creative period of isolation, evident through the lyrics in “Cherry”: “Everything will be okay/It’ll never be okay.” Providing us with honesty about the disastrous feelings the past year has brought up, Pinkshift exists as the fresh and angry rebuttal to all things wrong in the world.
By the end of Pinkshift’s set, Kumar demanded attention and voice from her audience as the band segued into their final and most popular song, “i’m gonna tell my therapist on you,” insisting, “I want you to yell with every fiber of your fucking being that doesn’t want to be there.” Ending with a strong and raw finish, Pinkshift gave a voice to the anger of our generation dealing with the frustrations of a pandemic and the obstacles of young adulthood, with emphasis on being free of things that no longer serve you.
Once Mannequin Pussy came to the stage, the audience was ready and charged by the more-than-lively show that Pinkshift gave. Pinkshift, paired with Mannequin Pussy’s liberating rage, is the kind of music that makes you excited about life. The combined sound of these bands goes beyond bopping your head and cheering in between songs—it ignites the part of you that remembers what sets you apart and what you have to bring to the table in terms of authentic and creative versions of yourself. Watching these performers was inspiring.
Mannequin Pussy’s lead vocalist, Marisa Dabice, performing at The SInclair
A Philadelphia-based, almost-fully-female punk band, Mannequin Pussy is led by guitarist and vocalist Marisa Dabice and Black bassist Colins “Bear” Regisford. This band portrayed massive resilience as they had just gotten all of their luggage and band equipment stolen from a show in Ohio, leaving them with nothing (Dabice shared, “The clothes I’m wearing aren’t even mine. These are borrowed from a friend”). Contemplating almost stopping the tour, Mannequin Pussy left the audience with the paraphrased message, “You can’t let the disastrous things bring you down and control your life. You’ve got to take that anger inside of you and put it somewhere else.” Then, Dabice led the audience in a large, loud and liberating collective scream, letting it all out.
Punk is the freest form of music. It is the only genre in which you can scream for the sole purpose of screaming and nothing else. Pinkshift and Mannequin Pussy made it clear there was nothing to prove other than the power of music and community behind it. This notion became evident in the hospitality between bands, when Pinkshift allowed Mannequin Pussy to borrow all of their instruments and stage equipment in light of their loss.
Mannequin Pussy’s Colins “Bear” Regisford finishing the show with a solo performance
Ending the night was a solo from Mannequin Pussy’s Colins “Bear” Regisford, arguably the most moving part of the show. Paul was authoritative, honest and unapologetic for his anger as he started his song and fit of rage with, “this song is for all of my people of color.” Giving a face and voice to the influence and talent of people of color in the pop punk industry, the crowd went wild in celebration of the music, the roaring and the freedom that the bands gave to their audience that night. The alternative scene is diversifying and rapidly coming for attention and listeners whether we are ready for it or not. Punk is returning, this time with a new, authentic narrative behind it—a story of returning to normal, both stronger and more unapologetic as the music scene revives.
You can find more on Pinkshift on Bandcamp, Twitter and Spotify. You can find more on Mannequin Pussy on their website, Spotify and Instagram.
Check out Julia Federing’s photo gallery from the Pinkshift & Mannequin Pussy show:
