Manchester’s Mandy, Indiana made their NYC live debut on Saturday at a packed-to-the-gills show at Baby’s All Right. I don’t think you could’ve squeezed another person in the room, which was near dark leading up to the band taking the stage; the space lit up with a blaze of bright amber lights that made the room look like a kiln. The band were an equal furnace blast, sonically, with their techno-and-industrial influenced brand of post punk. I was particularly impressed with drummer Alex Macdougall, who hammered out 16th notes like a drum machine, but each member brought a distinct set of skills. Guitarist Scott Fair used his guitar more for atmospherics (and as a mic to scream through) than riffs, keyboardist Simon Catling radiated deep waves of synth, and Valentine Caulfield is an intense, magnetic frontperson who jumped into the crowd more than once. They made quite an impression and folks didn’t want them to stop.
Check out their setlist — which pulled from this year’s I’ve seen a way and the rest of their discography — and a little video from the Baby’s show below.
Mandy, Indiana now head to the West Coast for shows at L.A.’s The Echo on December 7, and San Francisco’s Brick & Mortar on December 8.
Meanwhile, we’ve been posting artists’ end-of-year Top 10 lists and Mandy, Indiana’s Scott Fair has given us his, which includes billy woods / Kenny Segal, Fever Ray, and more. Check out his full Top 10 Albums of 2023 list below.
SETLIST: Mandy, Indiana @ Baby’s All Right 12/2/2022
Nike of Samothrace
Pinking Shears
Injury Detail
Pashto
The Call is Coming from Inside the House
Drag [Crashed]
Iron Maiden
Peach Fuzz
Bottle Episode
Interlude
Alien 3
Mandy, Indiana’s Scott Fair – Top 10 Albums of 2023
Ran Cap Duoi – *1
Tzusing – Green Hat
Jpegmafia/Danny Brown – Scaring the Hoes
KAVARI – Against the Wood, Opposed to Flesh
Ambassade – The Fool
Rrose – Please Touch
Billy Woods/ Kenny Segal – Maps
Fever Ray – Radical Romantics
Forest Swords – Bolted
Iceboy Violet – Not a Dream But a Controlled Explosion
